Jones ready for O’Gara battle

Fly-half Jones becomes only the sixth player in Welsh rugby history to win his 80th cap after re-claiming his place for Saturday’s title showdown. 

Now he faces a shoot-out for the British Lions jersey with Ireland hot-shot O’Gara, who is on the verge of smashing the 500-point ceiling in the Six Nations. 

Jones said: “You only have to look at the statistics to see how important O’Gara is to Ireland. 

“He’s a brilliant kicker at the top level, both with Munster and Ireland, and he compliments that pack by keeping them on the front foot. We have to put pressure him because we can’t allow him to dictate events. He does that too well. 

“Whoever wins the kicking battle will inevitably win the game.” 

Wales coach Warren Gatland lit the blue touch paper after by revealing the Welsh players “dislike” Ireland. But experienced campaigner Jones was more tactful. 

He said: “There’s a strong element of rivalry between the two teams that has built up over the last few years so we know exactly what a good side Ireland are. 

“They’ve put themselves in a fantastic position but there’s a lot more to come from us. We played well for an hour against Scotland and in patches against England, France and Italy, but we still have the Triple Crown to win and we’re fully aware of the 13 points margin needed to win the championship. 

“You would have to be an idiot not to realise there is pressure on both teams. But if you can’t get excited as a player for this game, then you may as well give up playing.”