INJURIES are threatening to derail Wales’ autumn series and that much heralded opener against the All Blacks on November 7 at the Millennium Stadium.

The absence of a number of stars injured during the British and Irish Lions tour of South Africa this summer, as well as one or two subsequent blows, makes it even harder to understand why some from within are so keen to talk up Wales’ chances of success rather than keeping their powder dry.

Definitely ruled out of the four-match programme are prop Adam Jones and flanker Martyn Williams while Gethin Jenkins, though said to be in with a chance of recovering, is still pretty unlikely to make it.

And centre Jamie Roberts, voted man-of-the-series for the Lions, has had to leave the field in each of the two starts he has made for Cardiff Blues since his return to rugby following his summer exertions.

His neck problem is a big worry, especially as it follows on from the concussion he suffered against Australia almost a year ago, all part of the head-on approach he has to the game.

He is such an imposing physical presence and the way everyone plays off him with his physical style may be starting to take its toll already.

It’s all a bit of a worry for Wales coach Warren Gatland who at least had a bit of relief after the Ospreys at last got their act together to a degree with their victory over Glasgow at Firhill.

Captain Ryan Jones, who has had a year to forget, found some form, though he could be hard pressed by the Dragons’ Joe Bearman who again showed his paces in a retreating pack against Munster on Sunday.

A number of key players were missing like skipper Tom Willis, Luke Charteris and Gavin Thomas, internationals all, as well as Ben Castle and Jason Tovey, while Matthew Watkins and Rhodri Davies have yet to start, so it was probably inevitable that the Dragons would succumb, especially against such a formidable outfit.

While the Dragons have undeniably improved and have a better squad now, it’s not really comparing like with like when Munster can bring back several Lions, blood Springbok star centre Jean de Villiers and introduce New Zealand powerhouse No 8 Nick Williams, after he missed much of last season with leg injuries - and still have Lions captain Paul O’Connell on the sidelines.

The Dragons will have to get back on track on Saturday when they face bottom team Connacht at Rodney Parade.

If some of the aforementioned return against the Irish minnows and they win with a bonus point they will jump back up the table again, particularly if some of the other results go their way again. But, as previously mentioned in this column, the Dragons do have a major problem in the scrum where they frequently get into trouble.

They were regularly on the back foot against Munster, making it difficult to get their own game going and giving Williams such an easy ride at the base of their scrum, so that he scored a hat-trick of tries.

Unless they can sort out their scrummaging problem the Dragons are going to find it difficult maintaining the obvious improvements they have made elsewhere.

WELSH rugby has just lost a giant of the newspaper world with the passing of John Billot on Sunday night, only one week short of his 80th birthday.

John was for many years chief rugby writer of the Western Mail following on from the even bigger JBG Thomas at a time when journalists in that position on that paper were regarded almost as the sixth selector in the time of the Big Five selection panel.

John was a super guy, one of the friendliest you could ever meet, forever cheerful and full of good humour.

And for year after year he compiled the authoritative Welsh Rugby Annual, painstakingly researched and packed full of statistics so that it became the bible for all of us.

I will always remember the day in the North British Hotel in Edinburgh after a Scotland-Wales international (the hotel long since refurbished and renamed the Balmoral) way back in the late seventies when a huge row broke out between John and Jeff Squire, the former Pontypool and Wales No8.

Jeff was very animated about something John had written about him and collared him in a hotel reception room just off the main entrance. Indeed, it got so heated that quite a crowd gathered to witness the ‘discussion’ and it has to be said that the player probably got the better of it with a captive audience.

But John came up with the delicious comment once it was all over - “Well, Jeff Squire had his say on the floor of the North British Hotel today, I’ll have mine on the back page of the Western Mail on Monday morning!”

Priceless, in that quiet, understated way which was pure John Billot. A sad loss indeed.