Wyn Jones has admitted he was “undercooked” going into Wales’ autumn campaign but insists he is in much better shape now heading into the Six Nations.
That’s despite the fact the Scarlets prop has only played one game in the past nine weeks due to Covid-related issues.
Back in November, he was dropped to the bench for the matches against South Africa and Fiji, with Welsh coach Wayne Pivac saying he had work to do to get to the fitness levels required to play international rugby.
It was a bit of a comedown, to say the least, given Jones had been a Test starter for the Lions against the Springboks over the summer.
So a couple of months on, how does he now reflect on what the boss had to say?
“I think I knew myself going into the autumn I was undercooked, to be honest with you,” said the 29-year-old.
“I’d come back from the Lions tour with an injured shoulder and an injured back.
“I did my AC joint in the South Africa A game and only just passed the fitness test to play in the third Test, after struggling with an infection in the AC.
“Then I trapped a nerve in my back in the game, which meant I had to come off just after half-time.
“I was stuck on the changing room floor for 20 minutes after coming off and only just able to get up for the final whistle.
“That was a tough time. We were stuck in Jersey on the way back and I wasn’t very mobile.
“I was basically injured for my time off after the tour.
“For six to eight weeks, I couldn’t even run, I couldn’t hardly do anything.
“I was at home not really being able to walk much around the house. My back was stiff and I had a trapped nerve in my hip as well.
“I couldn’t do anything for those two months. That was a very frustrating time.
“I had to get my body right first before anything.
“In hindsight, I probably rushed back a little bit.
“But it was nice to get that autumn under my belt. I was feeling easier week on week as I got fitter.”
By the end of the campaign, Jones was back as Wales’ starting loosehead, winning his 39th cap in the victory over Australia.
At that point, he was ready to kick on, only for fate to take a hand.
He found himself stranded in South Africa along with the rest of the Scarlets squad amid the emergence of the Omicron variant of Covid and then shared in the subsequent hotel isolation in Belfast.
“It was a case of dealing with the unknown,” he said.
“We went to South Africa expecting two games and ended up ten days in a hotel in Belfast.
“Those ten days weren’t easy. There’s no point hiding away from the fact.
“The hotel experience was definitely something I wouldn’t want to do again.
“But there was no other option at the time.
“You’ve just go to put your head down and get through it.
“There’s no other way out of it. You do what you have to do.
“Then we got back home and had a bit of Covid in the camp, which meant a bit of disruption within the squad, and you had games being postponed over Christmas.
“Obviously it’s been quite a frustrating period.”
The hotel quarantine meant the Scarlets were unable to safely field a team for their opening Champions Cup tie away to Bristol, which they forfeited, while the second round match at home to Bordeaux-Begles was cancelled due to French travel restrictions.
Then the Welsh derbies against Cardiff and the Dragons were both postponed, while Jones didn’t figure in the New Year’s Day clash with the Ospreys behind closed doors.
So that was eight weeks without a game for the man from Llandovery farming stock.
“It is a surreal position to be in really,” he said.
“When you are injured, there is obviously frustration, but you know your work-ons to get back playing.
“But when you are fit and able to play and there’s no games to play it’s definitely different.
“I can’t really explain what it’s like, training the whole week and then the game being cancelled last minute.
“As a player, it’s pretty difficult to plan for a game, train for a game and then have it called off at the last minute.
“But that’s the nature of Covid, you’ve got to adapt.
“I was a bit frustrated not to be able to play, but it is what it is.”
Finally, Jones was able to return to action last Sunday, having a 54-minute run-out for the Scarlets in their 45-10 Champions Cup defeat out in Bordeaux.
“It felt a little bit of a pre-seasony type burn in the lungs,” he said.
“You can replicate the game as much as you like in training, but it’s never the same, especially when you are playing a big French side who are flying in the league, which makes it that bit more difficult.
“I was a little bit stiff on Monday, as expected, but it was nice to get back out on the field and get playing.
“It was great to get that game under the belt.”
Despite his spell on the sidelines, Jones is feeling in good nick and relishing what lies ahead, having been named in Wales’ Six Nations squad.
“I’ve been able to train week-in, week-out for the last couple of months and that has been a massive help for me,” said.
“I’ve been able to go through some tough sessions and I definitely feel a lot different now to what I did going into the autumn.
“The lay-off has been frustrating, but the body feels good and I’m looking forward to the future now.
“Hopefully, the matches will come thick and fast and I’ll get plenty of game time.”
Next up is Saturday’s Champions Cup tie against Bristol, which will be the Scarlets’ first home game in front of fans since October 22.
“Crowds are back and that’s something to look forward to,” said Jones.
“Hopefully it will be a big game for us.
“Bristol are a good team from 1 to 15. We know their threats and what they can bring, but we have obviously got our plan to nullify that.”
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