Neath scrum-half Gareth Jones is in a “serious but stable condition” in hospital after suffering a neck injury.

Jones, 28, of Pontypridd and who works as a decorator, suffered the injury during the match at Cardiff on Sunday.

After treatment on the pitch, Jones was transferred to the University Hospital of Wales, Heath, in Cardiff.

Scans revealed a significant injury to Jones’ neck and early on Monday morning he developed complications which required emergency surgery.

Jones’ condition is currently stable but serious and he is under observation in the Intensive Care Unit.

More tests will be performed over the next 24 hours and further surgery may be performed in the next 48 hours.

Jones is receiving support from his family, officials of Neath Rugby and fellow squad members.

Play was delayed for around 10 minutes while medical staff attended to Jones during the Welsh Premiership champions’ 24-22 defeat.

Neath Rugby is confident that their player has received the best treatment available and fervently hopes that his recovery will proceed as quickly as possible.

The club has also asked that supporters respect the privacy of the family at this time

A superb all-round performance from James Hook inspired the Ospreys to a fine victory in the EDF Energy Cup final against Leicester at Twickenham.

The fly-half had a hand in both Ospreys tries, setting up Andy Bishop for the opening touchdown on 22 minutes before finding Alun Wyn Jones on 47 minutes.

Hook converted both scores, as well as kicking over three penalties.

Leicester never settled in the game, with all their six points coming in the first half from the boot of Andy Goode.

The victory avenged the Ospreys’s 2007 final defeat by Leicester and was the perfect response after their disappointing loss to Saracens in the quarter-finals of the Heineken Cup last weekend.

Tigers coach Marcelo Loffreda played into the Welsh side’s hands, opting for centre Ollie Smith ahead of the more enterprising Tom Varndell on the right wing in a bid to counteract the threat of Shane Williams.

The English side dominated the early exchanges, taking the lead on four minutes when Goode kicked over a 25-metre penalty after a ruck infringement.

And the Premiership team’s forwards soon camped themselves deep inside Ospreys territory, but a fumble from centre Dan Hipkiss thwarted any hopes of a score.

But Goode - who had missed two earlier penalty efforts - doubled Leicester’s lead with a drop-goal on 16 minutes.

But within six minutes the Ospreys, who featured 11 of the Wales side that beat England in the Six Nations, were ahead courtesy of Hook’s vision and Leicester’s lackadaisical defending.

The fly-half popped an inside pass for centre Bishop, who brushed off limp challenges from George Chuter and Goode before diving over for the first try of the game.

Hook added the extras and Leicester, after imposing their early authority, were beginning to lose the plot, with the Wales number 10 pulling the creative strings.

A wonderful, fleet-footed break from Hook required a full-stretch tackle from Harry Ellis to prevent a certain try-scoring opportunity.

Indiscipline from the Tigers forwards resulted in captain Martin Corry receiving a stern lecture from referee Alain Rolland, warning any further discrepancies would lead to the sin-bin.

But despite their dominance, the Ospreys failed to capitalise - Hook missed a 35th-minute penalty attempt, while Leicester just about cleared a Williams chip into the try area - and they had to make do with a slender one-point lead at the interval.

But that advantage was extended seven minutes after the break through Wyn Jones, courtesy of a scything break from the excellent Lee Byrne.

The Wales full-back was assisted by a missed tackle from Chuter in midfield, but quick recycling and a change of direction from Jonny Vaughton found Hook, whose perfectly timed pass found the powerful lock for a five-metre touchdown.

Leicester, subdued and lacking any attacking threat, were soon chasing an 11-point deficit when a thumping Hook penalty from the right touchline sailed through the middle of the posts.

With Leicester’s beleaguered forwards looking increasingly forlorn, the Ospreys squeezed further penalties from their tired and dejected opponents, with Hook adding six points with two fine penalty strikes to seal the game and the trophy.

The Ospreys kept pushing forward and replacement Gareth Owen touched down in the corner after a dazzling Williams break, only for referee Rolland to overrule the score for an earlier forward pass.

The decision had little effect on the Ospreys as the celebrations began in earnest two minutes later when Rolland blew for full time.

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Leicester: J. Murphy, O. Smith, Hipkiss, Mauger, Tuilagi, Goode, Ellis, Stankovich, Chuter, Castrogiovanni, L. Deacon, Kay, Corry, Herring, Crane.
Replacements: Varndell for Tuilagi (76), White for Stankovich (53), Kayser for Castrogiovanni (75), Croft for Herring (58). Not Used: Blaze, Laussucq, Vesty.

Ospreys: Byrne, Vaughton, Parker, A. Bishop, S. Williams, Hook, Marshall, James, Hibbard, A. Jones, Wyn-Jones, Evans, R. Jones, Holah, Tiatia.
Replacements: Brew for Vaughton (78), Spratt for A. Bishop (75), Owen for Hook (78), D. Jones for James (73), Bennett for Hibbard (67), Gough for Evans (69), J. Thomas for Tiatia (69).

Att: 65,756

Big-spending Welsh region the Ospreys are believed to be targeting an All Black centre in the summer.

Auckland Blues and New Zealand backs Isaia Toeava and Ben Atiga are thought to be top of their shopping list.

Toeava, who has 15 caps, was part of the New Zealand World Cup squad, while Atiga was capped once four years ago. Both can also offer cover at full-back.

Wales backs Gavin Henson and Sonny Parker are the Ospreys’ first-choice centres, but top-class cover is short.

Should Toeava or Atiga arrive in west Glamorgan, they would join former All Blacks Justin Marshall, Filo Tiatia and Marty Holah in the Ospreys squad.

The regions are allowed six non-Welsh players in their squads, the Ospreys looking to boost their star-studded line-up after the disappointment of this season’s Heineken Cup quarter-final exit.

Coach Lyn Jones’ 2007/8 campaign is likely to be seen as a failure at the ambitious region, even if they win Saturday’s EDF Energy Cup final against Leicester

Saracens claimed a place in the semi-finals of the Heineken Cup for the first time after stunning favourites Ospreys at Vicarage Road.

James Hook put the visitors ahead with an early penalty but Saracens hit back with two penalties from Glen Jackson.

The Ospreys made a host of errors and Saracens took control with a try from Francisco Leonelli on 42 minutes.

Ospreys had a glimmer of hope after Paul James bundled over but Jackson’s late drop-goal sealed a famous win.

Saracens can now look forward to a Heineken Cup semi-final against Munster at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry after a victory which will be sweet revenge for the 30-3 defeat they suffered at the hands of the Ospreys in the EDF Energy Cup last month.

The Welsh region, boasting a dozen players who won the Six Nations with Wales this year, made the better start - fly-half James Hook slotting over a penalty after just three minutes.

But Saracens, playing in front of a sold-out Vicarage Road for the first time, came back into the game helped by a raft of penalties given against the visitors.

Jackson put his side level with 10 minutes gone before adding another three points after Marty Holah was penalised for hands in the ruck as Saracens pressurised the Ospreys line.

The Ospreys thought they had scored the game’s first try when the ball bounced into the in-goal area but Alun Wyn Jones was adjudged to have tackled Neil de Kock without the ball before he touched down.

The contest stated to open up as the penalty count dropped and both sides began to carve out chances only for poor execution to let them down.

Impressive Sarries wing Richard Haughton made a darting run through the Ospreys defence from deep only to deliver a poor pass at the crucial moment while Sonny Parker and Lee Byrne both spilled the ball as the visitors launched dangerous-looking attacks.

Saracens lost centre Andy Farrell and full-back Brent Russell before the break but it did not seem to affect them as they were almost handed a try following a moment of madness from Hook.

The mercurial number 10 tried to catch a high ball in the 22 behind his back but dropped it and then sliced his clearance into touch.

From the resulting line-out, Haughton again made a searing break which led to Paul Gustard just being held up short of the line by the desperate defence of Byrne and Shane Williams.

A score for the home side was not long in coming though and they crossed two minutes after the restart thanks to an enormous slice of luck from de Kock’s deep clearance.

The kick was touched in flight by Holah, allowing Saracens to collect the loose ball which led to Leonelli, who had came on for Russell, to touch down in the corner.

The Ospreys seemed rattled by the score and a combination of mistakes and ferocious Saracens defence meant they struggled to find any momentum.

Saracens continued to carve out chances and lock Hugh Vyvyan was bundled over the line only for the television match official to rule that he had been held up.

The Ospreys cause was not helped by the sin-binning of Byrne on 58 minutes, who saw yellow for a deliberate knock-on as Jackson burst through the defence and passed the ball wide.

With the game entering the final 10 minutes, the Ospreys battered the Saracens line and the brave defence was finally broken when James crashed over from close range.

There was to be no fairytale comeback however and Jackson’s drop-goal with two minutes left completed the victory, handing coach Alan Gaffney the chance to try and overcome his former club Munster in the last four.

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Saracens: Russell; Haughton, Sorrell, Farrell, Ratuvou; Jackson, De Kock (capt); Lloyd, Cairns, Visagie, Vyvyan, Chesney, Gustard, Hill, Skirving.
Replacements: Ongaro, Johnston, Ryder, Barrell, Rauluni, Powell, Leonelli.

Ospreys: Byrne; Vaughton, Parker, Henson, Shane Williams, Hook, Marshall; Duncan Jones, Bennett, Adam Jones, Gough, Wyn Jones, Jonathan Thomas, Holah, Ryan Jones (capt).
Replacements: Hibbard, James, Ian Evans, Tiatia, Webb, Bishop, Brew.

Shane Williams has pledged to see out his career at the Ospreys after signing a new three-year contract.

The wing will stay at Liberty Stadium until the end of the 2010-11 season and hopes to go into coaching when his playing days end.

Williams, 31, said: “I can’t imagine playing anywhere else. It’s where I feel at home and I want to stay here for the rest of my career.

“After that I’d hope to stay involved in the region in a coaching role.”

However, Williams hopes to continue playing beyond the end of the contract, saying: “I think I’ve got more than three years in me yet.”

Ospreys coach Lyn Jones said: “As with the re-signing of Lee Byrne, this is a massive statement of intent by the region which can only be good news for Welsh rugby.

“This is excellent news for everyone involved with the Ospreys, particularly the supporters who enjoy nothing more than the sight of Shane in full flight with ball in hand.

“His career has been quite a journey since myself and Mike Cuddy first signed him for Neath as a scrum-half in 1998.

“We’ve been with him through all the highs and lows and shared his many successes along with the thousands of true rugby supporters who appreciate the unique talents he brings to any team he is a part of.”

Williams signed for Neath from Ammanford as a scrum-half, but switched to the wing and has gone on score 39 tries in 54 Wales appearances, one short of Gareth Thomas’ all-time record of 40, and toured New Zealand with the British & Irish Lions in 2005.

He has also made 78 Ospreys appearances and is the region’s leading try-scorer with 35, an impressive 15 ahead of second-placed Gavin Henson.