Jones captained the Lions to series glory against Australia in Sydney last month in the absence of Sam Warburton as Britain and Ireland’s elite recorded a stunning 41-16 win at ANZ Stadium.
The 27-year-old returned home with his already impressive reputation further enhanced, with plenty of people suggesting that he should now skipper Wales in the upcoming Dove Men Series this autumn.
But the man himself says such thoughts are a million miles away from his mind as he knows that competition within the squad is so fierce that any drop in form could see him miss out on selection altogether against South Africa.
“I just want to be back in the fold and playing for the Ospreys and Wales. There are no guarantees after coming off a Lions tour because you can have physical and mental fatigue,” Jones told Media Wales.
“If that affects me early in the season and I don’t make the Ospreys squad then I won’t be able to put my hand up for the Welsh jersey. I always tell people that my ambition at the start of every season is to pull on the black Ospreys jersey, be able to play and get a run of form. If you do that you put your hand up for selection in the red jersey.
“It’s everyone’s ambition to play for his country, irrelevant of whether you are captain you are a necessary foot soldier. You have to be picked in the squad first before anyone can comment on the captaincy. It’s arrogant if you talk about that before selection.”
While Jones is clearly proud of his role in helping the Lions claim a first series victory since 1997, he knows that the past alone won’t lead to further success with the Ospreys or Wales.
Jones has enjoyed plenty of triumphs with both sides so far in his stellar career, including a brace of RaboDirect PRO12 crowns and an equal number of Grand Slams, and he won’t be suckered into thinking that such a run will continue without the necessary groundwork.
“All the congratulations are very flattering. The squad did very well and we were proud of what we achieved, but you can’t dwell on the success you have had,” added Jones.
“There’s a lot of rugby to be played over the next 10 months, and before we know it, another World Cup year will be upon us. There are going to be more autumns, more injuries and you just have to get on with that. That’s what I’m conscious of. I’m not trying to be negative or downplay the achievement, but you have to move on.
“It’s like rule changes. If you don’t abide by them, you get left behind. I’m very conscious that the same applies with personal performance. You can’t dwell on your success, because it’s short lived and if you do go down that road you won’t have any future success.”
