Jones and Roberts near Wales return

Ryan Jones and Jamie Roberts remain on course to hand injury-rocked Wales a double fitness boost for Friday night’s testing Millennium Stadium clash against Samoa.

The reigning RBS 6 Nations champions yesterday lost two more forwards from their autumn games — lock Alun-Wyn Jones (shoulder) and flanker Josh Turnbull (knee ligaments) — after prop Adam Jones and back-row star Dan Lydiate were sidelined last month.

Centre Jonathan Davies’ ongoing groin trouble, meanwhile, means he is still unable to train fully with the Wales squad.

But former Wales captain Ryan Jones and centre Roberts, with 112 caps between them, could both make the starting line-up.

And that would be music to interim head coach Rob Howley’s ears as Wales target a first victory since they beat the Barbarians more than five months ago.

“I hope to play against Samoa, fingers crossed, but I have to go through the protocols,” said Roberts, who was concussed following a clash of heads with Argentina’s Gonzalo Tiesi midway in last Saturday’s 26-12 defeat against the Pumas.

Jones, meanwhile, returned home early from Wales pre-autumn Tests training camp in Poland earlier this month to have a shoulder problem investigated but trained fully yesterday.