"I thought I’d be able to beat him for speed, on physical prowess alone. But I couldn’t get anywhere close. Not only was he technically brilliant but it was also the intelligence of how he called, found space and manipulated opponents.”
Alun Wyn Jones has been linked with a shock move to the Gallagher Premiership due to the ongoing financial crisis plaguing the Welsh regions.
The Welsh talisman, who has 155 caps for his country, is on a national dual contract (NDC) with the Ospreys which expires next summer.
The WRU want to keep Jones in Wales, as is the case with all their top players.
However, it has been reported by the The Rugby Paper today that players across the border face pay cuts of up to 50 per cent by the ailing regional quartet.
Union negotiators finalising a six-year agreement believe too many players are being paid too much.
“The regions are paying mediocre players excessive amounts,’’ a source told The Rugby Paper yesterday.
“Some squad players who cannot command regular firstteam places are being paid £100,000-a-year and more in some cases. They have been living beyond their means for years. It is simply not sustainable any longer.”
According to RUCK sources, free-spending Bath, Exeter Chiefs and Saracens are very keen on signing the most-capped international in history.
Alun Wyn Jones facts:
- He is the first player in the professional era to have played in nine consecutive Tests for the Lions having been involved in all three series
- Alun Wyn Jones has a law degree from Swansea University and he graduated in 2010
- nothing. Second rows wearing white rugby boots was quite unusual. That’s how he got the nickname Alun Gwyn Boots
- His father, Tim Jones, was a respected solicitor who also played rugby for Swansea, and his funeral in 2016 drew hundreds from the legal and rugby worlds. One of life’s true characters.
- Wife of the Lions captain and mum to their two daughters Mali and Efa, Anwen, who is a doctor of physiology, is a Welsh-speaking physiology lecturer at Cardiff's Metropolitan University.
"F***ing Nightmare" - Maro Itoje Names The Toughest Opponent He Has Ever Faced - including ALUN WYN JONES
England, Lions and Saracens lock Maro Itoje doesn't like to praise players he comes up against
When asked to name his toughest opponent by The Times he was less than open with his response.
“Good question,” he replied. “The other second row, outside of the locks in England, that I hold in the highest regard is probably … I don’t actually like complimenting people in my position to be honest.
"I don’t even want to give them the compliment. I guess we’ll leave it at that.”
However, during other interviews the 26-year-old has given a bit of an inside look into some of his opponents.
#3. Charles Piutau
Itoje said: ”
For me it’s always those quick guys you can’t quite get a hold of that give me the most trouble for sure. I’m not sure if I’ve played him this year but Piutau is a real handful.”
#2. Alun Wyn Jones
Itoje said: "He was on another level. I’ve got a lot of respect and admiration for Alun Wyn, and I always preferred having him as a teammate than going up against him. It's sad that I likely won't play with him again now.
"'It seemed like he was created in a lab.'"
#1. Steve Borthwick
Itoje said:
Steve Borthwick and Neal Hatley talk before the Guinness Six Nations Championship match between Wales and England at Principality Stadium on February 23, 2018 in Cardiff, Wales. Photo: Phil Mingo/PPAUK
- Born in Carlisle, Cumbria, Borthwick was captain of the Hutton Grammar School rugby team
- He was appointed the England forwards coach in December 2015; a role which he left in mid 2020 to become head coach of Leicester Tigers
- Borthwick captained Bath to victory in the 2007–08 European Challenge Cup
- A member of England’s wider 2003 World Cup squad, he narrowly missed selection to the final 30.
