Welsh on red alert

MOST OF the coaches are having to deal with the potential distraction of a certain red jersey as they prepare their players for the Six Nations.

The prospect of making the Lions trip to New Zealand this summer is an intoxicating one, but it can be as much a distraction as inspiration.

Alun Wyn Jones knows his first job as new Wales captain is that his men retain their focus on the right red jersey – the one with the white feathers on.

“You hope people have that ambition but you hope people bury it within themselves to perform in the red jersey we have,” said Jones, who has taken over the captaincy after Sam Warburton’s return to the ranks.

“The Lions could bring out the best in some but put pressure on others.

“It’s good for players to have that ambition but, first and foremost, they have to concentrate on what they’re doing in this team before they look too far beyond that.”

Jones is no novice at captaincy, having led the Ospreys and Wales during Warburton’s injury absences.

The second row, a veteran of 105 caps and six Lions Tests, knows what is expected and judging by his behaviour at yesterday’s launch of the Six Nations, will leave no stone unturned, no detail unremarked.

When he sat at a desk scattered with a dozen or more voice recorders, he arranged them all in a neat line.

“I thought I’d do something while you were sitting down. It’s not an OCD thing,” he said. “It just looks neat and tidy. Oh, it probably is an OCD thing...”