The 30-year-old loose head has been recalled by Warren Gatland to join Gareth Thomas and Rhys Carre in fighting it out for the No 1 jersey and despite having 45 caps to his name is taking nothing for granted.
“I’m delighted to be back in the squad after missing the autumn through injury. I’ve had a couple of games under my belt with the Scarlets after sorting out my knee and I’m feeling better and better every day,” said Jones.
“There are six or seven loose heads in Wales going really well and that just helps to make everyone better. Better competition brings out the best in any player.”What is exciting Jones, and everyone in the Welsh camp, is working under Warren Gatland again. He was first capped during his previous reign as head coach and also got picked by him to play for the Lions in 2021.
“All the new staff and coaches have brought new energy ,and Gats has brought what Gats brings. He’s a very good leader, he is very direct with his messaging and knows what he wants out of everyone,” added Jones.
“A lot of the boys will be used to Gats and know what he brings to the environment and what he drives within that. He lets us know what he wants to get out of us – he has been brilliant. The players are all on their toes and want to impress.”
Jones admits he was frustrated at having to sit out so many Scarlets and Wales games while he was nursing his knee back to full fitness. Now he just wants to make up for lost time.
“When you put on the Welsh jersey you always want to win and so it was frustrating having to watch. For me, it was all about getting back onto the field,” said Jones.
“There is a massive prize at the end of the year, and we want to use the Six Nations to build momentum into the World Cup and try to go one better than last time. It’s going to be brilliant for us to go up arguably the best team in the world first – that will allow us to measure ourselves against the best.”
After getting the call from Gatland to re-join the squad he was able to look forward to a possible reunion in the Welsh front row with his Scarlets clubmate, Ken Owens. This time, though, he will be packing down alongside ‘Captain Ken’, following Owens’ elevation to the role of skipper.
Wyn Jones (right) with new Wales captain Ken Owens (holding shirt) pictured after being selected for the 2021 B&I Lions tour
“Ken has been a great leader at the Scarlets. He leads by his actions and is someone you would follow into action,” he added
“I thought he had captained Wales before, but he hasn’t. I’m over the moon for him because it is a great achievement, and it is one he thoroughly deserves”.
If he does get the call to play on 5 February at Principality Stadium against the Irish he could find himself packing down against his old Lions teammate, Tadhg Furlong.
“Tadhg has based his game on his scrummaging, as any tight head prop would, but he is also very good around the pitch. He is an exceptional rugby player and a very good man off the pitch as well,” said Jones.
“You learn a little bit more about players when you have trained with and against them. I hit more scrums against Tadhg Furlong that any other guys, so that helped to build up my experience and could give me a little bit of an advantage.”
