Aaron Shingler will play for the Scarlets for the first time in 545 days when he lines up against Toulon in Friday evening’s European Challenge Cup encounter at Stade Felix Mayol.
It will be his first outing for the region since he suffered a knee injury in the Guinness PRO14 final against Leinster a year last May. The damage was so bad that the 6ft 6in back rower feared he might have to retire.
But he returned to play action for Wales this summer and now makes his comeback in his region’s colours.
The Scarlets have missed him, with Shingler a key figure in their lineout and a force around the field with his athleticism and appetite for hard work.
He and Ryan Elias are the first of the region’s Wales players to return to action after the global tournament in Japan.
Former England A international Ryan Lamb makes his full debut for the Scarlets and so does Dane Blacker, the pair forming a half-back partnership against Toulon.
New Wales squad member Johnny McNicholl lines up at full-back, with Steff Evans and Corey Baldwin making up the back three.
The Scarlets opened their Challenge Cup campaign with a 20-16 win over London Irish, while Toulon won away at Bayonne.
Scarlets: J. McNicholl; C. Baldwin, S. Hughes (capt), K. Fonotia, S. Evans; R. Lamb, D. Blacker; R. Evans, R. Elias, S. Lee, T. Ratuva, J. Kruger, A. Shingler, J. Macleod, B. Thomson. Reps: M. Jones, P. Price, J. Sebastian, J. Helps, U. Cassiem, K. Hardy, D. Jones, M. Williams.
