‘All-round package’ Jones makes difference for Scotland

On the hour mark of Scotland’s Six Nations opener against Italy at Murrayfield, there was a hushed tension in the stands.

Scotland had dominated possession and territory, had three excellent tries, and were at 19-19 when they had collected penalties that allowed Tommaso Allan to take points off the tee.

Their healthy lead had been surrendered. They needed someone to stand up and slam the ball at the head. Huw Jones did just that.

After battling with winger Duhan van der Merwe down the left flank in the opening 10 minutes, the former Stormers and Harlequins back had already scored one try.

However, it was his second-half contribution that decided the contest.

Jones’ second try of the contest was made by winger Darcy Graham’s incredible jink run, but the centre did it like a pro. He embraced Graham as his support and headed straight to the line.

If his second was a walk-in, his third was anything but.

Paolo Garbisi and Monty Ioane were both left for dead by Jones with a right-foot step, and Michele Lamaro’s tackle held back for a score in the end resulted in a stretch out and scoring.

Former Scotland prop Peter Wright commented, “He has improved so much in both attack and defense.”

You can only assess Jones’ contributions by looking at his figures.

He now has 22 tries in 54 internationals, a record most wingers would be delighted with.

Saturday’s three scores put him above Tommy Seymour and level with Chris Paterson on Scotland’s all-time try-scoring list. With 30 Van der Merwe, Van der Merwe is in command.

Jones has excellent handwork, a remarkable try-scoring instinct, and silky running skills. He also possesses great humility.

“I’m pretty happy”, he said afterwards. “Thanks to the boys for setting me up, it’s not every day you get to the end of three.”

Jones appreciated the significance of his second try in the context of the game and ran for 131 metres on 13 carries against Italy.

The build-up to the game was dominated by Jones ‘ usual centre partner, Scotland captain Sione Tuipulotu, being ruled out of the championship with injury.

Tuipulotu is a world-class operator, a leader who combines both power and precision. If he finds fitness in time, he will be eligible for this summer’s Lions tour, which will include a crucial part of Glasgow’s URC victory last year.

Jones, however, served as a reminder of his ability to challenge any defense in international rugby alongside another Glasgow player, Stafford McDowall.

“Huw was outstanding today”, co-captain Finn Russell said. “I thought Stafford was a great athlete at 12.”

The backs worked really well together, and they created a lot of chances, and we need to try to finish those off if we want to compete in this tournament.

When Jones first stepped onto the international scene, he had all of his attacking prowess but was lacking in the defensive stamin to accompany him.

Jones lost his Scotland spot as a result of the teams’ effective targeting and the 2019 World Cup.

He went away and worked it out, though, returning to the national team set-up a more complete package.

” Huw is such an all-round player now, “head coach Gregor Townsend said.