The three-time British and Irish Lion will become the most capped Welshman of all time when he leads his side out at against England at Twickenham on Sunday. The Rugby World Cup warm-up clash will be his 126th international in the Welsh jersey, while he has played in another nine Lions Test matches on their tours of South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.
The 33-year-old Ospreys star will overtake prop Gethin Jenkins, who made 129 appearances for Wales and played in five Lions Tests.
For a man who has an international honours list that includes three Guinness Six Nations Grand Slams, another title in 2013 and a Lions series victory in Australia, he is still far from satisfied. Jones will lead Wales into this weekend’s clash with England on the back of a 14-game winning streak. And Gatland believes his leadership is crucial in the build up to the Rugby World Cup in Japan.
“In the last 12 months, he’s done an outstanding job as captain of the side. He’s a player that led incredibly well by example and his attitude during the Six Nations,” said Gatland.
“He’s recognised worldwide as one of the best in his position. He thoroughly deserves that.The bigger the occasion, the bigger the challenge, the more he seems to thrive.
“He’s comfortable in the position he’s in at the moment and he deserves the accolades that are thrown his way. What I like about him at the moment is his calmness and the respect he has from the other players.
“Also, his ability to allow other senior players in the team to express themselves and have a voice. The squad’s in a really good position at the moment, it’s healthy and there’s a lot of confidence.”
Jones will lead an experienced Wales side into battle this weekend before a swift turnaround for the return match at Principality Stadium on Saturday 17 August. The limited recovery time will replicate the gruelling nature of the Pool D campaign, which begins with clashes against Georgia and Australia six days apart. And Gatland believes their preparation will have them battle hardened for an energy-sapping pool campaign.
“We’re trying to build on the run of form we’ve got.” he added “These first two games, we play on Sunday and then we have a six-day turnaround, which replicates the first two games of the Rugby World Cup. That’s good preparation for us.
We’ve had a plan for the last two years and we haven’t deviated from it. There’s a good chance that we may back up a lot of those players next week as well. Then we’ll give some players an opportunity against Ireland before we announce the squad.”
