'As a player, he is probably the most professional man I've ever come across in my time'
George North has hailed his “incredible” Wales team-mate Alun Wyn Jones as he closes in on rugby union’s world Test match appearance record.
Wales skipper Jones would have equalled the world-best of 148 international games had last Saturday’s Guinness Six Nations clash against Scotland gone ahead.
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If the Scotland game, which was postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak, is rearranged this year, Wales will have eight more matches scheduled in 2020.
And at some point that should mean 34-year-old lock Jones going past the current record held by New Zealand’s World Cup-winning skipper Richie McCaw.
“As a man, first and foremost, he is of the highest quality,” Wales wing North said, of Jones.
“He is loyal to the hills – he will be shoulder to shoulder whenever you need it.
“As a player, he is probably the most professional man I’ve ever come across in my time.
“What he goes through and puts his body through Monday to Friday to give the performance on the Saturday – and then does it all again – is incredible. As a leader, he has done us incredibly proud.”
North has won 95 Wales caps and, like Jones, played in Tests for the British and Irish Lions during a 10-year international career.
But the fact Jones is almost 50 games ahead of him underlines his remarkable longevity and durability.
“Sometimes I look at the state of him after a game and think ‘I am all right’!” North added.
“To have been part of that journey with him is incredible.
“Al is a a very closed man. He likes to go about his work. He is not a flashy man.
“It’s only when you go day to day with him that you realise how much work he puts in, not just the normal training hours, but the beforehand, the bit after for recovery, the days off getting ready, and just his mindset that it’s never done – there is always more to be done.
“You see someone like Alun Wyn, he has played 147 times for his country, then you look at him doing his extras.
“For the younger boys, what a person to look up to, what an inspiration. Some of these new guys, it’s an amazing environment to be involved in.
“And when you have a legend like Alun Wyn doing extra fitness on a Tuesday when he doesn’t need to, or doing extra rehab he doesn’t need to, or getting his body physically in a great place to play, or doing an extra walk-through with the boys, he sets such an example.
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“He is such a physical specimen, the way he plays the game. The way he is and the way he goes about his work, I don’t see him stopping any time soon.”
Jones’ stellar Wales career features four Six Nations titles, three Grand Slams and two World Cup semi-final appearances. He has also played in more Six Nations games than any other Welshman.
“Al is the one constant feature in Wales over the last however many years,” North said. “Al is always there, isn’t he?
“I am not saying it is a one-man team, but for us he is a huge pillar for our game and our go-forward. He is a massive part of Wales and a massive part of our squad.”
Press Association
Comments on RugbyPass
Absolutely spot on Ben. I certainly wouldn't gloat over a win like that. Frustrating as it is it's done and dusted and history will forever show the result.
97 Go to commentsHo hum.
97 Go to commentsNo question they were the better team. But that is the beauty of sport isn’t it!
97 Go to commentsEveryone is into Hurling in Ireland according to Porter, but only 11 of Ireland's 32 counties enter a team into the national competition. Same old blarney.
1 Go to commentsLet’s be honest. The draw and scheduling in the World Cup was a joke but South Africa found a way after having to go the hard (nearly impossible) way to the Cup Final via France and England. NZ had a hard game against France (lost) and had 5 weeks to prepare for the Quarter, 3 weeks knowing it was Ireland. NZ theerfore had to win one big game against an Irish team who played SA and then Scotland 7 days before. They won and it was de facto a semi final because they were playing a relatively weak Argentina team and it was a walk over. In the final a very rested NZ team was playing a very tired SA team and still lost. They couldn’t score more than 11 points. Put another way SA had to find a way to win while tired and they achieved that. NZ should thank their lucky stars that they fixed the scheduling in 2015 otherwise they would be dealing with a Bok treble.
97 Go to commentsPerhaps if Bongi wasn’t targeted and removed from the game in the first 3 minutes it would have been quite a different game. Maybe if NZ also faced the same competition the Boks faced to their win NZ would have looked quite different. The final score shows who outplayed who.
97 Go to commentsRubbish article! Abuladze played most of Exeters matches when fit. He got injured against Glasgow a while ago and is out for the rest of the season, thats why he hasnt played for Exeter and Georgia recently. Do some proper research next time!
1 Go to commentsGotta love it when kids throw their toys out the pram and can’t hack it with the grown ups debate. Here’s looking at you turlough! 😉🤣
148 Go to commentsThey lost the game period move on
97 Go to commentsSpringboks won! Stop winging. You can change the game however much you and your rugby colonizing IRB want to and the Springboks will win you at that too. Your mind is colonized my friend get a life
97 Go to commentsBen, nobody gets fooled anymore by selective and biased data to support an hypothesis. Games are decided on such small margins these days that you win some and lose some, and dominance is a thing of the rugby past. Look at the RWC circle of fortune…. Ireland beats SA who beat France who beat NZ who beat Ireland. And so it goes on. Match officials help to eliminate real indiscretions. If they had been with us years before, no doubt results would have been different. Remember Andy Haden’s dive from a lineout in 1978 for which a match-wining penalty was awarded? Wales should have beaten the ABs that day. They took the loss like the gentlemen they were.
97 Go to commentsWith all the analysis and how good the all blacks were.The fundamental mistake with the ABs is that this is a test match and not an exhibition.There is no better team(country) in world rugby than the Boks that knows how to win a test match(we are post masters at this).We know our rules, we have the discipline, we tackle like beasts, we take our points and we never give up.I now have educated the ABs supporters(at least say thank you).Please stop “bitching” , accept what the outcome is and move along swiftly.
97 Go to commentsAnd they came from behind to win two big games before the final. No one can say what would have happened. Had the boks gone behind the game plan changes and the result may changes. Ifs and ands are irrelevant. The boks won. Neutral critics enjoyed the games they played. Its not a popularity contest. Get over it and move on.
97 Go to commentsI'm happy for the people of SA to get a second WC. And I mean that. I was very disappointed with this man's “stand on the hand” incident with Josh Van Der Flyer (Ireland). Ireland's downfall in the last WC was they did not rotate their first 15 as the head coach probably should have. That said, I'm happy for SA and genuinely hope it lifts the mood in their country. Ireland did beat them in the first match of the tournament. And before the trolls start trolling ….. please don't bother. Etzbeth said recently that the Irish players said after the match “see you in the final”…..this was actually wishing the SA team the best of luck in the rest, the Irish team were not dismissing the AB’s. This is what Etzbeth was implying. But he was wrong. I no longer live in Ireland. But I hope to see them lift that cup before I pass. Anyway, congratulations SA. 👍
12 Go to commentsMore bloody click bait. Dan Carter has said absolutely nothing. As he should do. Poor journalism again from a site that should know better
9 Go to commentsOh god please help these loosers get over it!!!! You lost. Doesn't matter how many times you dummies are gonna analyse the game, you still lost and we are still Rygby World Champions….get over it, you lost.
97 Go to commentsThe next Willie le Roux. SA are made not to use him.
3 Go to commentsDan has always been as controversial as tea with milk so we were never going to get any definitive answer. So DMac for the win.
9 Go to commentsGoodness. When are the All Blacks and New Zealand commentators going to stop complaining about how they could have won and just try to win next time 😂. In South Africa if you lose you get up and try again. Get over it.
97 Go to commentsHonestly, it doesn’t matter a whole lot. RSA has a ton of experienced talent in its leadership group. I am more interested in who is the new 8 man/8 men and the younger props. The captain may change but the system does not
1 Go to comments