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'I kept well away from him' - Alun Wyn Jones was 'A okay'

By PA
(Photo by PA)

Jonathan Davies believes the summer internationals have played a big part in driving standards forward for Welsh rugby and hopes to sign off a demanding season with a series victory over Argentina.

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A dramatic 20-20 draw against the Pumas at the Principality Stadium last weekend means everything is up for grabs when the tier one nations battle for a second time at the same venue on Saturday.

It will bring Wales’ lengthy campaign to an end with head coach Wayne Pivac making seven changes to the XV from the first Test as he looks to provide chances to an inexperienced squad without 11 players away with the British and Irish Lions plus injured centurion Leigh Halfpenny.

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What does Alun Wyn Jones returning to the Lions mean for Conor Murray

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What does Alun Wyn Jones returning to the Lions mean for Conor Murray

“A series win would be great. All the hard work the boys have put in, as a collective it would be good to sign off what has been a very long season on a series win against a very good team,” stand-in captain Davies said.

“You look at all the opportunities that have been given, with the amount of boys away and unavailable, it has created competition.

“It is great moving forward for Welsh rugby that come the autumn when hopefully everyone is fit, I’m sure the coaches will have some tough selection on their hands in all positions really which is where you want the national team to be.

“Competition for places will increase the competitive nature of training and inevitably increase standards.”

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A youthful Welsh squad were treated to an appearance by regular skipper Alun Wyn Jones this week, who stepped up his remarkable recovery from a dislocated shoulder by taking part in two full-contact training sessions with the group.

The 35-year-old has now left camp after proving his fitness and travelled to South Africa to resume his role as Lions captain but did not depart without paying his way.

Davies revealed: “He came through it A-okay. I kept well away from him! He even turned up and knew he would be fined, for being late to camp, and he paid quite quickly.

“It is just great to see him have an opportunity to go back out to South Africa and be a part of the Lions. He worked extremely hard to get himself fit again.”

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Scarlets centre Davies has recovered from a knock to lead the team in the series decider but Pivac has rung the changes elsewhere.

Cardiff half-backs Tomos Williams and Jarrod Evans both start after they impressed off the bench to help Wales fight back to earn a 20-20 draw while Saracens centre Nick Tompkins will line up alongside the skipper.

Youngster Tom Rogers gets the nod on the wing and forwards Gareth Thomas, Leon Brown and Josh Turnbull will start and look to help the side learn from last weekend where the Pumas played 50 minutes with only 14 men.

“Argentina came really hard at the contact area and for us our learnings looking back is making sure we look after the ball, we’re ball tough and we don’t cough it up too easily,” Davies insisted.

“They made it a real contest at the breakdown and we need to make sure we are there and take away those threats. They are a strong team but we can gain confidence from the game.

“A lot of boys probably haven’t experienced that level of Test rugby and they will learn from it. They know they can cope with the challenge of it now and hopefully that will propel them to help us go to another level.”

Saturday will be Wales’ 13th Test since October 31 and after a fifth-place finish at the Autumn Nations Cup, it has been a largely successful season with the Guinness Six Nations title secured although only after they were seconds from a Grand Slam before a 32-30 loss to France in Paris.

“Obviously the autumn we were extremely disappointed with the results, but we knew we were stating to lay foundations with this group,” Davies added ahead of his 91st cap.

“All that hard work came in for the Six Nations. We should have won a Grand Slam but we didn’t. A championship helps make up for that but with the amount of boys missing for this campaign, it has given opportunities to some new boys.

“We are up against a very good team in Argentina and if we can win, it will cap off a pretty good season for Welsh rugby and the boys understand the task at hand. It is now making sure we do sign off with a good result.”

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Jon 6 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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j
john 8 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

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A
Adrian 10 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

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