Jones aims to help lift Wales in Six Nations role

Adam Jones might just be the man to change the negative vibes in Welsh rugby.

The Welsh rugby cult hero has joined Warren Gatland’s Wales backroom staff to advise the Six Nations, which kicks off Friday night with a challenging trip to Paris with France.

The former Wales prop teamed up with Gatland’s squad on Monday and has since been given a secondment by his English club Harlequins.

Any new voices in the camp, especially those of a character like Jones, may be welcomed now that Wales has lost a record number of international games.

“It’s been little bit like a first day back at school”, he said.

“There are a lot of players I don’t know. I’ve obviously seen them on television.

At recent press conferences in Wales, there hasn’t been much laughter, but Jones created a jovial atmosphere to launch yet another potentially contentious campaign.

Jones has a lot of substance, too. In addition to winning 95 Wales caps during his 11-year international career, which included four Six Nations titles, three Grand Slams, and three World Cups, he also has outstanding pedigree.

Along with his five South African and four Australian Test appearances in 2009, he also played in five of the British and Irish Lions’.

Jones also described the process of the Welsh international team’s resumption.

I’ve spoken to the management and asked if I wanted to help out.

” With Humphs (Wales forwards coach Jonathan Humphreys) doing the breakdown, line-out and scrum, it’s a fair workload. So I’m chuffed to get the nod. “

Jones says he has been encouraged by first impressions.

” I have seen how hard everyone is working, how much they want to win, “he added.

” You can see the boys are hurting – it’s natural. If boys want to work hard, you can’t ask for more.

“I’m confident that the country will support them, and I’m optimistic that things will turn out well.”

Jones claims that watching Wales struggle from his base in England has been challenging.

“I’m a proud Welshman”, he said.

Prior to joining Cardiff for a season, Jones spent the majority of his career with the Ospreys in Wales.

Before leaving the game in 2018, he worked as a player-coach for the Harlequins in 2015.

The 43-year-old immediately became a permanent part of the backroom staff at the Stoop, where he has helped English props Joe Marler, Fin Baxter and Kyle Sinckler.

What, then, does Jones believe he can bring with him to Wales?

“I guess a different voice”, he said.

“Over the past nine years, I’ve worked with a lot of good coaches,” I say. They have all altered the settings in which I have previously lived in my home.

” I’ve changed a lot since I’ve been in England. I’m more outgoing. “

Jones says working with the national side is something he would like to do in the long run, but that role is temporary because he will return to Harlequins after the Six Nations.

” When this chance came up I was dying to do it and Harlequins were amazing, “said Jones.

I’m going to cherish coaching at the level of a test match.

In what was a contentious end to his Test playing career, Jones was most recently involved on the international stage 11 years ago.

In his 100th and final international against South Africa, Gatland brought Jones off after just 30 minutes.

Jones wrote about the incident in his autobiography later because he was unhappy at the time. He asserts that any problems have vanished.

“We have kissed and made up”, said Jones.

“It got twisted a little bit when I finished. Anyone who ends their career will be upset. I worked with him for ten years because of what he (Gatland) did for me as a player.

” I wouldn’t have got to 95 Wales caps, won Grand Slams or gone on Lions tours if he hadn’t have come in at that time and pushed me in the right direction.

I’m happy to work for him because he had such a significant impact on my career because he had a certain way of doing things and helped me get there.

Despite overseeing Wales’ worst losing run, Gatland is under enormous pressure because it has received a vote of confidence in the Six Nations.

“For someone who has been around the block as long as he has, he’s calm and knows what he wants”, said Jones.

“What he is good at, when I was a player, was that backs-to-the-wall narrative.

Nobody in France is able to give Wales any hope, according to Jones.

“The entire country and the rugby world think we’re going to France and get excited,” Jones remarked.

We want to go out and make the crowd quiet while we can test them.

“That’s a key thing out there. When Oliver Reed speaks to Russell Crowe, it resembles Gladiator. If we can silence that, it’s half the battle won.

Certain things can happen as long as we front up and give 100%, which you will because you are wearing the jersey for your country.

Jones will only go through a small number of sessions to provide guidance for the Welsh scrum in the frightful French set-piece.

” They have a saying in France, ‘ no scrum, now win’, “said Jones.

” We have to go there with a plan. We don’t want to give them anything; we just want to take them on.