AlunWyn staying at Ospreys will benefit

THE Ospreys have outlined their belief that Wales would benefit from Alun Wyn Jones staying at the Liberty Stadium when his contract expires next summer.

The outstanding lock will be 34 by the time of the next global tournament.

He could probably have the pick of most clubs in Europe and Japan as he heads towards becoming a free agent, but he is in talks with the Ospreys over a new deal and the region reckon it will be win-win-win for themselves, the player and the national team should he opt to remain in Swansea.

“Alun Wyn also needs to be looked after and the Ospreys will do that to make sure he gets to the World Cup in the right place,” said backs coach Gruff Rees.

“It’s also important for the Ospreys to retain players who are at the heartbeat of what we do.

“You can see Al’s influence over the last couple of weeks.

“People talk about the leadership and rightly so, but we’ve seen again what he can do as a second row.

“He has come back from an international block and played some tremendous rugby.

“That in itself is tough to replace.

“We keep hoping his influence as a man will rub off on others and in the Six Nations while recognising that others people have to step up to the mark.”

Jones is up to 122 Tests appearances – 113 with Wales, nine for the Lions – and has been playing international rugby for more than 11 years, but his enthusiasm burns as brightly as ever, not just for Wales but for the Ospreys as well.

Senior players Dan Lydiate, Justin Tipuric and Bradley Davies have all helped point the way forward for the region as they have doubled Northampton Saints in the Champions Cup, but it has been Jones who has been leading the charge, with his influence on young players particularly noticeable.

“Al’s a real proud Osprey and he’s doing his best around the scene to try to help the young players find their way through a scratchy patch of form,” said Rees.

“We’ve had a bit of an upturn in Europe and he’ll want to see us do it in the league campaign, too.

“He’ll just want to keep doing it for as long as he can.”

Rees was asked whether the Ospreys were interested in signing George North, who has penned a