I have thought about moving... but I like to prove people wrong
THE highs and lows experienced by Huw Jones stand as powerful testament to the fact that a professional sporting career can often become a life within a life.
He went from being the golden boy of Scottish rugby some 18 months ago after a match-winning display against England in the Calcutta Cup, to the forgotten man who was almost allowed to exit out of the back door.
The Glasgow Warriors centre had a turbulent 2019. After being left out of Scotland’s World Cup squad, he then lost his place at club level to compound matters.
It was only in November that he wasn’t even on the bench for Glasgow’s opening two fixtures in the Heineken Champions Cup.
One of the club’s top earners with a contract which runs until the summer of 2021, Jones was an expensive asset to be sitting gathering dust in the stands.
Indeed, his loss of form actually extended back to the tail end of last season.
He lost his way at the Warriors to the extent that he was on the bench for the Pro14 final against Leinster in May.
Now, though, he is slowly but surely beginning to look like a player reborn. The festive derbies against Edinburgh proved that form is temporary and class is permanent.
Scorer of an excellent try as the Warriors lost out in a thriller at BT Murrayfield last weekend, Jones is bidding to come full circle and reclaim his place in the Scotland squad.
He would be lying if he said the thought hadn’t crossed his mind to leave Glasgow in those dark days, when he was strongly linked with a move back to the Stormers in South Africa.
But, speaking for the first time since his World Cup omission, Jones insists a desire to silence his critics has fuelled his decision to stay and fight for his place.
‘I think this is the first time I’ve had three starts in a row for Glasgow,’ said the 26-year-old. ‘As a player, it’s hard to just come in for one week and play well — and then you’re out the next.
‘You can’t get any momentum. But, I think once you get a couple of games in a row, you can sort of build on them.
‘Guys that play week in, week out, you say: “Oh, he’s massively consistent — he’s playing every week”.
‘But, you can’t be consistent if you’re not playing every week. It’s nice to play. Hopefully I can play again next week.
‘At times, I’ve thought about moving. It’s been a tough year. I’ve had a couple of injuries and non-selection.
‘At times I’ve thought maybe I’m in the wrong place. It’s a fleeting thought. Basically when you get dropped, five minutes afterwards you’re sulking about it.
‘But you have to get on with your job. Help the guys that are playing at the weekend and, hopefully, you get your chance if you’re training well.’
Pressed on what changed his mind to stay rather move on, Jones continued: ‘I think I like to prove people wrong.
‘I don’t think I’ve ever been massively out of form — just not playing. You could say that’s the same thing but, in my head, you can only be out of form if you’re playing badly, not if you’re not playing.’
Asked if he spoke to Warriors head coach Dave Rennie about the possibility of moving on, Jones revealed: ‘Yeah, we discussed it. I think at the beginning we obviously disagreed.
‘I said to him I just want to be playing and he obviously understands that it’s coming from the right place.
‘And obviously now I am playing, so I should have no complaints. Hopefully, it stays like that.
‘I think Dave has said there’s not much between me and Nick Grigg. Every time he tells you that you’re not playing, he tells you what he wants you to work on.
‘Often it’s frustrating because you already are working on it. All you can do is just keep doing that.
‘I saw someone tweet something the other day, saying players will say: “Play me and I’ll show you” and coaches will say: “Show me and I’ll play you”.
‘It’s tough to get out of that when you’re not playing, but when you are playing you want to stay there as long as you can.’
Having started each of the last three games, Jones would ordinarily be due some time off soon as part of the rest protocols around Scotland players.
It’s unclear whether that still applies to him, given that he wasn’t part of the World Cup squad. Not that he has any interest in putting his feet up any time soon, with Jones keen to play as much as he possibly can.
He insisted: ‘I don’t know what the protocol is — I think it’s four or five games.
‘If I get to that point I’ll be asking not to rest because I don’t really need it. I’ve had plenty. But yeah, it’s nice to play.’
Jones revealed he hasn’t had a chance to speak to Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend since his World Cup omission.
If he can maintain current form, though, then it surely won’t be long before the phone rings ahead of the Six Nations in February.
Glasgow’s schedule in January begins with a trip to Benetton in the Pro14 this weekend, before a Heineken Champions Cup double-header with Exeter Chiefs and Sale Sharks.
‘I suppose it was like an old-fashioned trial against Edinburgh, wasn’t it?’ he added. ‘You’re playing against guys who you’re competing with for that national spot.
‘Obviously getting closer to the Six Nations I’m thinking about it. I want to be playing as much as I can to give myself the best chance of getting into that squad.’