How mastering the splits set ‘Bambi’ Jones on the road to being Lions captain
Prowess surprising in a 19st, 35-year-old forward, a relentless drive to being the best and an empathy for others
As the most-capped player in Test rugby and now the oldest captain in British and Irish Lions history, it seems inconceivable there could be anything surprising left to learn about Alun Wyn Jones. And yet here it is: this 6ft 6in, 19st behemoth can do the splits.
Neither is it simply a party trick. Rather, it underlines Jones’s remarkable commitment to his sport and why, even at the age of 35, he has shown no signs of any decline to his outstanding physical prowess.
The secret to his longevity – he now has 157 Test caps, taking him well clear of New Zealand’s Richie Mccaw – is reminiscent of the unorthodox and pioneering fitness regime of the oldest Test Lion of all, Neil Back, who was 36 when he played against New Zealand in 2005. And yet the determination to keep himself in prime condition is very much down to Jones.
“There have probably been more naturally skilled and more athletic players, but Alun Wyn was always looking to be ahead of the curve in terms of conditioning,” recalls Adam Jones, his former team-mate with the Ospreys and Wales. “He was the first I knew who looked to the NFL for trends around prehab and recovery.
“To improve his flexibility and his running he taught himself to do the splits. It was part of his burning desire to beat everyone on the pitch, but also challenge himself to be the best and get every ounce out of his body. He bought a house with a pool just so he could do recovery work.”
Sean Holley, who coached Jones at the Ospreys between 2005 and 2012, says that unrelenting drive was key to the relative lack of injuries during his career and his indefatigability on the field. Jones’s natural demeanour may make him appear exhausted after a matter of minutes in a Test match, but it is rare for him to fail to complete 80 minutes for Wales.
“It is his attention to detail that has made him such a physical specimen,” Holley says. “I was on a trip in Spain and bumped into Al and Tommy Bowe one afternoon, and he was sitting there putting his leg behind his head. At the age of 35. I remember once in training he dislocated his big toe and it looked horrible, but he was back within a week. He is so durable because he keeps himself in such good shape.”
The drive that set him apart from his rivals was evident from the first time he arrived at the Ospreys in the summer of 2005. Tony Clement, the former Wales full-back, worked with Jones at the Swansea club when he was 18.
“Alun was studying at Llandovery College at the time and I went down with Garin Jenkins to have a look,” Clement recalls. “First impressions were that physically he was an athlete and when he started training with us, it was quickly evident he was only going to be with us for a short period of time.
“For that sort of position, it is quite an achievement because it is tough in the front five for a player of that age. You can be an athlete, yes, but you have to have other strengths, and he had all the tools.”
Such was his dramatic rise, it was decided that Jones would be better served going straight into the professional set-up at the Ospreys rather than tour with Wales Under20s, which was a controversial decision at the time. “He arrived for his first session wearing white boots,” Holley says. “The word for white in Welsh is ‘gwyn’ and we call old boots ‘togs’, so Lyn Jones the coach immediately labelled him Alun ‘Gwyn Togs’. It is a nickname some of the boys still use today.
“What we saw was a freshfaced enthusiastic boy, who bounced around like Bambi and was athletic and powerful. It was clear he was going to make it.
“He was intelligent and always questioned things.
You could see him taking it all in – ‘why are we doing that? Why should I do this?’ He learnt so much from the leaders at the time.”
Adam Jones says his former team-mate had to be dragged off the training pitch, always wanting to be first at every training session or doing extras. “He also has what I call ‘man strength’. Simon Shaw had it, too. Even in a play fight, you would feel it – he is strong, bony, awkward and always had that natural strength and his competitive streak.
“I can remember when he was a really young kid holding a pad in a defence drill. You were meant to be hitting it around 70 per cent, but he was going at 110 per cent. He hit me twice, hard. The next time I stuck my shoulder into the middle of the pad and I caught him properly. He just looked at me with a big grin as if to say, ‘bring it on!’.”
A player consumed by the desire to self-improve does not only lend itself to leadership, but there is a softer and empathetic side to Jones that emerged as he matured.
Holley remembers the surprise at seeing Jones turn up at his house for his 40th birthday party. “Wales had just played Australia for what was Shane Williams’s last game|, but Al appeared at my door with a bottle of champagne and spent time with all the guests before leaving to go to Shane’s party. He would do anything for you.”
It was in the build-up to the third Test between the Lions and Australia in 2013 that team-mates first witnessed his major transformation into a leader with the attributes to become a future tour captain.
Amid the furore that was raging back in Ireland about Warren Gatland’s decision to drop Brian O’driscoll, who had been expected
to captain the side in the absence of the injured Sam Warburton, Jones was appointed leader for the series decider. He had only captained Wales once then, back in 2009, and said modestly that he hoped he had been selected “for the way I play and not necessarily the way I lead.”
Yet behind the scenes it was a different story. Adam Jones saw a different side to his namesake emerge. The new captain may have lacked experience of leadership at this level, but his pre-match oration in the Lions changing room in Sydney was measured, impactful, and he was not consumed by the emotion and pressure of the occasion.
“The speech stood out for me. There was no swearing for the sake of it, or white noise. It actually meant something.
“He got the coaches’ message across, and it was well thought out,” Jones says.
“I remember thinking ‘wow!’ about how he was with us that week and how he dealt with all the Gatland and O’driscoll stuff.
“In the last six years it is obvious when he doesn’t play for whichever team he plays for, they are half the team because of the influence he has as captain.”
Holley is in no doubt Gatland has chosen the right man – and not just for his remarkable flexibility.
“The guy exudes honour, leadership and pride, and you know he’s just somebody you want your son to grow up to be.”