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Ben James

Wales international to meet with coaches to understand why he's been dropped

Wales prop Wyn Jones says he'll meet with the national team coaches to understand his omission as he continues to put his World Cup disappointment behind him.

The Lions loose-head won't be in France later this year, having missed out on Warren Gatland's 52-man squad as the Wales coach opted to pick five other props ahead of the Scarlets man.

Jones did have a part to play in a World XV side that took on the Barbarians at Twickenham on Sunday, offering him some consolation after missing out on Gatland's squad.

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However, as he prepares for some time off ahead of a lengthy pre-season with the Scarlets, the 31-year-old is awaiting some feedback before he knows what he needs to work on to add to his 48 caps.

"I was obviously disappointed not to get named in the World Cup squad with Wales," he said after the World XV's 48-42 defeat at Twickenham. "But then little things like this come up and I take it as it comes, it's been a highly enjoyable week.

"It's one of these experiences in rugby you'll never forget. I'm grateful of the opportunity. I'll go back, work on my own game and see from there."

When asked if he'd got an explanation from Gatland, Jones said: "Yeah, briefly.

"I'm going to meet up with Jonathan Humphreys, forwards coach, and go through things with him. But at the moment, not too much."

Jones also took time to reflect on a season that has thrown up one crisis after another, with the last 12 months being mired by financial uncertainty and the threat of strike action.

Last week, Gareth Anscombe publicly called out Welsh rugby's "mess", saying that the players had been let down. It's a sentiment that Jones shares.

"I agree with what all the players are saying to be honest," he said about Anscombe's comments. "It's pretty obvious to see, I think.

In terms of whether there'll be more stability next season, he was optimistic - if not exactly confident. "I hope so, but I'm really not sure if I'm honest.

"I'm seeing some big names out of contract and nothing has been offered. It's disappointing for us other players who are watching that. You've just got to feel for them. Hopefully next year, things will settle out and be rectified.

"(It's been) Pretty messy off the field more than on it, it's safe to say. Some games were hard to concentrate on due to external things."

Despite the distractions, Jones is confident that the Scarlets can build upon their strong finish to the season, having reached the Challenge Cup semi-final, and go well next year.

"As players, we just need to perform on the field," he said. "At the Scarlets, we probably knew we weren't good enough at the start of the season, we addressed some things and we actually came back pretty well after Christmas.

"The semi-final wasn't to be but we were very competitive and it could have gone either well. I think we'll be competitive.

"You hear stories in the news about some teams not having enough boys to train, but I think we're one of the fortunate regions in Wales in that we have enough numbers in terms of coaches and personnel. I'm pretty sure we'll be ready to go come the start of the year."

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