The Mail on Sunday

Jones punched by Wales team-mate

- By Alex Bywater and Will Kelleher

WALES captain Alun Wyn Jones will sport a black eye against Ireland today after he was punched by team-mate Jake Ball during training for their Six Nations opener.

Ball who is in his last campaign with Wales before moving back to Australia to be with his family at the end of this season — is not involved in Wayne Pivac’s squad today.

Wales sources have downplayed the nature of the clash between the two locks.

It came in the same week that wing Josh Adams was removed from the squad and suspended for two matches for breaching both his team’s Covid rules and the national lockdown regulation­s.

Adams had attended a ‘gender reveal’ party with his family and pregnant partner last Sunday.

Jones, playing his 144th Wales match, knows there can be no excuses if they lose after a poor period in which they beat only Italy and Georgia. ‘We’ve been wary this time around and Wayne has been candid that this is the Six Nations and it’s tournament rugby,’ he said. ‘We can’t say we didn’t know it was coming or it was organised late because of Covid. We knew it was coming and we’ve prepared that way.

‘We’ve been trying to deliver for a while. It’s very dangerous and easy to turn the game into a numbers game. We realise how close we’ve been in a number of the games we’ve had, particular­ly in 2020.’

Neil Jenkins, celebratin­g the 30th anniversar­y of his Welsh debut, warned: ‘It’s all on the line tomorrow and we need to rock up, do what we can and take the game to Ireland’

MARCUS SMITH has ended speculatio­n that was set to leave Harlequins by signing a new deal at The Stoop, The Mail on Sunday can reveal. The fly-half, 21, is one of the most talented young English players in the Premiershi­p and has been linked with Bath and Lyon.

FRANCE, who face Ireland in Dublin next weekend, ran in seven tries in a 50-10 demolition of Italy in Rome. But skipper Charles Ollivon knows that Ireland will be a much tougher test. ‘Our performanc­e gives us a lot of confidence for the Ireland game although we have to keep our feet on the ground.’ he said.

 ??  ?? SHINER: Skipper Alun Wyn Jones pictured during training yesterday as the Welsh prepare to host Ireland
SHINER: Skipper Alun Wyn Jones pictured during training yesterday as the Welsh prepare to host Ireland

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