Lions Tour: Grizzled veteran Jones ready to lead from the front

Warren Gatland rolled the dice eight years ago in making six changes for the deciding third Test in Sydney. What’s more, in the absence of the injured Sam Warburton and Paul O’Connell, and having also omitted Brian O’Driscoll, he plumped for Alun Wyn Jones as captain.

Although largely overlooked in the greater scheme of things, the latter was a brave call as well, for although the then 27-year-old was a relatively experienced Test match animal at that stage, Jones had only captained Wales once before, four years previously against Italy in Rome.

Eight years on, Jones arrives at this point as the most-capped played in the history of the game. This marks his 160th Test, which already means he has pushed a dozen clear of Richie McCaw, while it’s his 51st as a captain and the fourth time he has led the Lions in a Test match.

Playing alongside Maro Itoje for the fifth Test running, Jones will make his 12th successive Lions Test appearance, moving him alongside Graham Price (1977-1983) and Mike Gibson (1966-1974) in the list of most Lions Test appearances.

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Aside from being as tough as old boots, and overcoming dislocated shoulders as if they were a minor twinge, one imagines part of the secret to his longevity is the equanimity with which he seems to treat games.

Jones’s public demeanour hardly ever seems to alter one iota. He gives little or nothing away. His tone and the steely stare hardly varies. Yet for him to say this match is “most definitely up there” means it must be pretty big.

Apparently, too, this has been reflected in the training.

“I think we’ve had an edge every week. It’s definitely here this week, since the selection we have seen it and we have carried on in a similar vein throughout the week. I’d like to think we have prepped pretty well. Obviously we only have a captain’s run to go tomorrow and then we are into it.”

Eight years ago, Gatland also gave the squad three days off in Noosa on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast at the start of the final week, and four years ago did the same when the Lions stopped off in Queenstown.

Confined to their bio-secure bubble, presumably after a few beers last Saturday night, not so this time.

“No, our Tuesday session was tasty again. It displayed the edge that we’ve seen on similar occasions previously. That’s the best sort of prep we can have for these weeks and these games.”

Clearly Gatland and his assistants, and perhaps Jones and the team leaders too, recognised there were areas that needed addressing.

Exchanging pleasantries

“Obviously we need to improve our set-piece again, discipline obviously because the penalty count went against us. Try and maintain tempo in the game. If we can do that, we can stay away from anything that might slow us down or get to the next set, as it were.

“We try keep it relatively simple. It’s very easy to go into too much detail or take too much time. It’s simplicity, discipline, accuracy and displaying the energy that we have showed throughout the tour.”

In that 63-minute plus first half last week, one could have set a clock on when Eben Etzebeth, agent provocateur as ever, and Jones would start squaring up to each other, holding each other by the necks of their jerseys, and exchanging pleasantries.

Gatland has spoken of the need for his players to avoid becoming embroiled in scuffles, as a further means of preventing more prolonged stoppages, but one imagines it’s not easy turning the other cheek against a Springbok, especially Etzebeth.

“They [scuffles] always happen, but you don’t want to entertain them. There’s a case for not taking a step back, but an awareness in keeping the game flowing, like I said earlier,” said Jones, trying to keep some kind of balance.

Amid the constant stoppages, the Lions skipper had asked Ben O’Keeffe to try and keep the second Test flowing but this too is a tricky high wire act.

“I try not to speak to him too much, obviously after what went before,” said Jones, presumably in reference to the narrative set last week by the Rassie Erasmus video. “Ultimately you try your best. If he listens, we get that. If he doesn’t, we don’t.”

Familiarity breeds contempt and, like any three-Test series amid such high stakes, this has become a grudge match too. Maybe this will surprise us, or maybe it will be another arm wrestle.

“It has the potential to be that way. You see finals that can be attritional things, but they do open up as well. I’d like to think we’re prepared for both. We don’t want to stifle ourselves with too much relying on the kicking game.

“It’s a balance, something we probably didn’t have last week, particularly in that second half. We were in it until 60 and then discipline probably cost us. We want to have the ability to do both and be ready for both.”