Williams will start at inside centre as Wales face the Wallabies in Cardiff on Saturday and Jones believes that his former protégé will be vital as Warren Gatland looks to replicate the success of the British & Irish Lions’ midfield axis this summer.
Former Scarlets backs coach Jones was a member of the last Wales side to beat Australia in 2008.These days he is the head coach at RGC 1404 in north Wales.
“I definitely think he’s got it in him to play at No 12 at international level because he’s got the physical attributes to go with his kicking game,” said Jones.
“It can be difficult moving between two positions on a regular basis but Owen is a good enough footballer to cope with it. I coached Owen when he was coming through at the Scarlets and you could see early on that he was better than the average player coming from the Welsh Premiership.
“The way the game is going it is important that players are able to be adaptable and have the ability to play in multiple positions. Warren Gatland is clearly a very good coach, you only have to look at what he has achieved in his career to realise that, and he understands that he was to adapt the way Wales play.
“In all fairness, he proved he could adapt with the Lions in the summer. He selected Ben Te’o, who is a big ball carrier, for the first test but, for the second test, he went for Owen Farrell at No 12 because he knew that was the way to get the best out of the Lions’ attacking game – I think Owen Williams can do the same for Wales.”
But Jones believes Wales may struggle to cope with a battle hardened Wallabies outfit who recently defeated the All Blacks.
“Wales have the ability to beat them, but they have a lot of things going against them. We are missing some key players such as Sam Warburton and Ross Moriarty and the breakdown is always a key area against the Southern Hemisphere nations,” said Jones.
“Australia are a far better side than they were eight months ago and have been together for months, while Wales won’t have had much time together.”
