UNSUNG HERO NOW SEEN AS ONE OF THE KEY MEN UNDER PIVAC
Prop star gearing up for Irish opener
WHEN Wyn Jones left the field in some discomfort against Cardiff Blues, it would have sent alarm bells ringing around Welsh rugby.
With Grand Slam winners Rob Evans and Nicky Smith both ruled out of Six Nations contention through injury, the often unsung Jones has emerged as one of the most important figures in the Wales camp.
He was already the frontrunner to start against Ireland on Sunday even before his two experienced propping rivals were struck down.
Now his reliable presence is more significant than ever given their absence.
The other two looseheads in the squad are young Rhys Carre, who had a tough time in the scrum against the Irish just a couple of months ago, and Rhodri Jones, who hasn’t played Test rugby for two and a half years.
So Scarlets stalwart Jones is very much the number one No. 1 and a key cog in the side.
As such, his departure with a neck problem against the Blues would have been a real cause for concern for Wales boss Wayne Pivac and his fellow coaches.
He is one of the men they can least afford to lose right now.
Happily, his issue doesn’t appear to be too serious and he should be available to pack down against Ireland at the Principality Stadium.
That’s particularly welcome news with Lions Test tighthead Tadhg Furlong back fit again after 11 months of back and calf injury woe.
As such, having the strong-scrummaging Jones to call on will be all the more vital, such is Furlong’s prowess in that department.
Fellow Leinsterman Andrew Porter is another powerful presence in the tight, as Carre discovered in the Nations Cup clash at the Aviva Stadium back in November.
So the 28-year-old Jones really is an important figure going into this Six Nations campaign.
Yet this was a man who was still playing Premiership rugby for Llandovery four years ago, having served a long apprenticeship treading the semi-pro club boards.
The way he has taken that route to become a 30-cap international is an important part of his make-up in the eyes of Scarlets head coach Glenn Delaney.
“He is the heart and soul of the club game. He loved playing there,” said the Kiwi.
“He’s sort of a testament to the old way rugby used to work where you earn your stripes.
“As a front-rower, playing at that level is often where you learn the ugliest lessons of your career.
“You come up against some grumpy old bloke that won’t move.
“He can’t run but, by George, he can scrum and you figure it out.
“Wyn has figured it out right the way through and he’s an incredibly powerful loosehead.
“The other aspect to his game which I’ve always been really impressed with is his ability to jackal over the ball. He’s really good in that facet.
“He’s developing his game nicely and I think he’s just getting better and better.
“He might have taken a slightly longer route, but often that gives you a bit of resolve and tenacity and a bit of perseverance.
“You learn life’s not going to be fair and easy and, if you apply yourself, good things can happen.
“That’s really the story of Wyn. We are super proud that he’s taken that.”
On Jones’s injury situation, Delaney said: “I haven’t heard the latest, but post-game I didn’t think there were any real concerns.
“He is in Wales camp at the moment, so he’s under their care.
“When he gets a knock we want him back as quick as possible and I’m sure the national coaches do because, for me, at the moment he is the form loosehead.
“So I hope he is back on the training pitch and making sure he’s available for selection.”
One final question for Delaney was what he makes of Jones’s nickname of Sausage?
“I genuinely don’t know how he got it and I don’t really want to ask, so I’ll leave that there!” he replied.
Jones actually has his former Llandovery and Scarlets front-row colleague Emyr Phillips to thank for the nickname.
“It’s a bit of a strange one,” revealed ex-wales hooker Phillips.
“One of his friends back home is called Sausage and Wyn used to wind him up because he hated it.
“Well, Wyn was winding me up on one of his first days at the Scarlets and trying to spread my own nickname around.
“I wasn’t having it because he was a young pup coming in!
“I wanted to knock him down a peg or two and let him know he had to work his way up the ladder.
“So I just started calling him Sausage and told the boys at the Scarlets.
“It was a bit random really, just to keep him in place, but when someone like Cubby Boi or Gareth Davies gets hold of a nickname it sticks pretty quick.
“When Stephen Jones started calling him Sausage in the meetings it just kind of took off.
“He still says it’s not going to stick, but I’m pretty sure the Welsh boys are calling him it.
“I suppose he looks a little bit like a sausage now.
“If he gets any kind of sausage sponsorship or anything like that, I will be expecting at least 50 per cent of it!”
Phillips believes Jones’s background away from rugby – he grew up on a hillside cattle and sheep farm about three miles outside Llandovery – has played a key part in his development.
“He’s got that farmer agricultural strength,” said the three-cap former hooker.
“I remember him doing one test based on grip and strength and he had a ridiculous score.
“He’s just naturally strong. What he gives you at scrum-time is huge.
“A lot of youngsters who come from Llandovery really value the scrum because of the people involved there.
“We both came through the Premiership route and we both appreciate hard work.
“I can’t imagine he would have thought he’d be where he is now a few years ago, but it’s great to see.
“It just shows that hard work pays
off.
“When you work hard on the farm every day and get the chance to play rugby, you probably value it even more.
“You realise that if not for rugby you’d be working long hours every day in some tough conditions.
“You probably appreciate what you are doing a lot more.”
Born in Carmarthen, Jones, who attended Aberystwyth University, played close on 100 games for Llandovery, having come up through the Junior Drovers system.
Graduating to the Scarlets, he established himself as a valuable member of their squad and made his Wales debut as a replacement against Tonga on the summer tour of 2017.
He remained a bit of a fringe figure within Warren Gatland’s squad over the next couple of years, making just the one start, with Evans and Smith ahead of him in the queue.
But it was the 2019 World Cup in Japan that proved his real breakthrough as he provided some much-needed stability at the scrum and installed himself as first choice.
That’s where he is again now going into the Six Nations, with his sometimes unheralded talents set to come to the fore.
As Phillips sums it up: “He’s a bit of an unsung hero.
“But when he doesn’t play, that’s when you realise just how important he is.”
Wyn Jones in action for the Scarlets.