Jones partnered Ball in the boilerhouse at Twickenham on Sunday, a fortnight after his late withdrawal with a toe injury handed Ball his first international start against France in Cardiff.
And Jones, who is at the opposite end of the spectrum in terms of caps having won 77 for Wales and six for the British & Irish Lions, reckons Ball could be a permanent fixture in the Wales squad moving forward.
“The two starts he’s had, he’s held his own and he’s got a definite future in a red jersey,” said Jones.
“Speaking to him, sometimes it’s better to come in late, when you have less time to think about things and just have to get on with it.
“With the likes of Jake coming in and a few other young boys putting their hands up there’s definitely positives on the horizon.”
With Luke Charteris’ availability for Saturday’s game against Scotland not yet confirmed, Jones and Ball could link up once again when Wales complete their RBS 6 Nations campaign against Scotland at the Millennium Stadium.
If they do so, they are likely to be up against French-based pairing Jim Hamilton and Richie Gray, with the latter a team-mate of Jones’ on the summer Lions tour to Hong Kong and Australia.
Gray was left out of Scotland’s starting side at the beginning of the Championship but has now found favour with boss Scott Johnson and Jones knows a tough test awaits both individually and as a team as the tournament draws to an end.
“Very much so,” was Jones’ response when asked if the Scots were improving despite defeat to France last time out.
“Scotland took a lot of stick after the first two rounds but they seem to be growing in confidence with the players they are putting out there. It’s going to be a tough ask when they know that we’ve come off a loss and they are growing.
“Gray’s omission raised a few eyebrows but him and Jim Hamilton seem to be working well together now. They’re probably the tallest second row pairing in the competition. Their pack is growing and the players that have come in for Scotland are making a difference.”
Saturday’s final fixture won’t bring a record-breaking third successive Championship crown for Wales regardless of the result after a 29-18 loss in London and Jones admits not being in the running at the business end is tough to take.
“Obviously the overriding feeling of disappointment is still there. Two losses in the tournament is not where we wanted to be at this stage, or any stage, of the tournament.
“It wasn’t the case that we weren’t looking to defend our trophy if you like: we wanted to scratch that and move forward but then you’ve got a target on your back after doing it for two successive years.
“We take nothing away from England. Credit to them and the way they played – they starved us of the ball. We helped them to a certain extent – almost 50% of our turnovers were from unforced errors. These things compound pressure and the opposition turn it into points.”
