Isaacs makes an All White return from injury

23-year old Isaacs came off the bench as a second half replacement for Swansea in their final fixture of the regular Premiership season, a 34-19 win over Cardiff at St Helen's, making a welcome return following reconstructive surgery on a shoulder injury sustained playing for the All Whites against Llandovery back in October.

Entering the action at scrum half early in the second half, Isaacs says that he is glad to be up and running again, even welcoming the inevitable aches and pains that come with a return from a lengthy lay-off. He said:

"It's great to be back playing, I'm over the moon to be honest with you. It's been a frustrating season for me, I've missed pretty much the whole year which has been difficult for me, but I'm really happy that I've got my first game back with Swansea out of the way now. I wasn't really expecting to be on for so long but I enjoyed it, being out there and in the thick of things again, it was great.

"I forgot how hard rugby was while I've been away and how much you ache the morning after! I was a bit sore waking up on Thursday morning but I'm happy about that because it means I'm back pushing my body on a rugby pitch again, something that I've missed."

It was originally feared that the Sevens World Cup winner, who signed for the region from Newport RFC last summer, wouldn't play again this season. But, having made his comeback in the white of Swansea, he is hoping to feature in the all new end of season play-offs for the All Whites, and beyond that, a potential trip down under that may help him make an impact in an Ospreys shirt next season:

"Swansea will have some big games coming up in the play-offs, so I think the aim will be for me to hopefully be involved in some way. There's also a possibility that I may be able to go to Australia for a couple of months to play some more rugby as I've spent so long on the sidelines, that is being looked at. It's just so that I can get some match fitness and sharpness before next season really.

"The season has been a bit of a write off, I have missed a lot of rugby and my first year as an Osprey hasn't gone how I would have wanted it to. I'm desperate to make an impact next year really, which is why I want to get away over the summer, so that I can get into condition and hit the ground running with the Ospreys next season. I've got the feeling that I still have a lot to prove. This season nobody here has really seen what I can do because of my injury.

"Pre-season last year went well for me, I think I did well and was involved against Leeds and Gloucester before the season got underway. I followed that up with a couple of good games for Swansea at the start of the season before I picked up the injury. There was nothing I could do about that, but I've put it behind me now and if I can show over the summer that I'm fit again, and maybe show the coaches what I can do, then next season I may get a chance to step up with the region."