Alun Wyn Jones looks all but certain to be a part of Wales ' plans at the 2023 Rugby World Cup and Shane Williams has said his old team-mate deserves his spot until a better alternative is found.
Jones, 37, holds the record for Test appearances (166) and marked his 154th Wales outing as a substitute during the team's recent 23-55 defeat at home to New Zealand. That inspired former South Africa prop Tendai 'The Beast' Mtawarira to suggest it was "about time to retire," tweeting: "A good dancer knows when to leave the dance floor. . .I am sure there is a young Welsh lock waiting for his turn in that jersey."
The comment caused debate among fans, but Williams was among those to defend his fellow legend as Jones eyes a place on the flight to France next year. Wales' all-time top try-scorer (58 in 87 appearances) made his own exit from the Test scene following the 2011 World Cup and believes Jones still has the moves to justify selection.
Do you think Alun Wyn Jones will go to the 2023 Rugby World Cup? Let us know in the comments section.
"I also believe a good dancer doesn't need to leave the dancefloor unless there's a better dancer [to replace him]," Williams told Mirror Sport. "Look, I'm a big fan of Alun Wyn - is he as sharp and as fresh as he was two or three seasons ago? Probably not, but let's be honest, everyone in Wales wants him involved in the squad because who do we have who's better at the moment? I think it's as plain and simple as that.
"Alun Wyn works his socks off and gives 100 per cent all the time. If that rubbed off on half of them, then they'd be some players as well. I just don't believe we have many better second rows in Wales at the moment."
Mtawarira's pointed criticism came across as slightly unfair following a 32-point defeat in which few (if any) Wales players came out with their stock perfectly intact. It was only last year Jones captained the British and Irish Lions to a narrow series defeat to visiting world champions South Africa, having overcome a dislocated shoulder in record time to make the tour.
Wales head coach Wayne Pivac omitted Jones from Saturday's 20-13 win over Argentina and has once again left the veteran out for this weekend's clash at home to Georgia. Williams—who has been part of Amazon Prime Video's Welsh-language coverage this month—called the Autumn Nations Series "a perfect opportunity to bring young players through," but the stakes won't always be this low.
"I want to see players like Christ Tshiunza get more game time to see what they're about," added the ex-Wales whiz. "You've got Adam Beard in there who's a good player but needs to take over from Alun Wyn now, let's be honest. He plays with him at the Ospreys, he's probably learnt a lot from him. We need Adam Beard to be the next Alun Wyn. We've got Will Rowlands as well, who was one of Wales' best players last year.
"However, what else then do we have? Wayne Pivac's probably looking at Alun Wyn thinking, 'What a great player to have in the squad for his experience. But hold on a minute, he's still producing the goods in training and can still put a shift in for Wales.'
"It's a difficult one. I'm sure Alun Wyn would turn around and say, 'Well, look, I'll leave this dancefloor, but I want to make sure there's somebody who can do the moonwalk first.' He'll put his mind, body and soul on the line for you. And that's the attitude we want from our Welsh players, so until there's someone better, what can we do?"
Exeter Chiefs lock Dafydd Jenkins is poised to make his Wales debut off the bench in Saturday's clash against Georgia but is ineligible for the following weekend's meeting with Australia. Beard and Dragons prospect Ben Carter will start in the second row, but Jones will be expected to come back into the picture to face the Wallabies.
Now in his 18th year of professional rugby, it's to be expected that managing the minutes is a greater focus for Jones. However, the Swansea native has made five appearances for the Ospreys this season, just one fewer than he managed for his club across the entire 2021/22 campaign.
The Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) has found its reputation tarnished in recent years for failing to adapt swiftly enough in what's been an incredibly demanding rugby economy. The four regional clubs have become less and less competitive in their domestic league over the years (now known as the United Rugby Championship), and Williams questioned the drop-off in Wales' ability to promote young talent.
"We've got academy systems, good training facilities, coaches and players around for them to feed off," said the 45-year-old. "Why aren't we bringing more players through at 18, 19 years of age who can put that red jersey on and play for Wales?
"You look at England and Ireland, the strength in depth they have of youngsters coming through. Even the likes of [Irish province] Leinster, who are bringing these players through on a weekly basis you've never heard of, class players who put that jersey on and seem comfortable playing at a high standard. So that's my question: why we don't have that talent coming through now, as we did 10 or 15 years ago?"
That unstable economic climate has only exacerbated Wales' issues, with an increasing number of star players heading for England or France to earn higher wages. Emerging superstar Louis Rees-Zammit—arguably Wales' most valuable prospect—plays his club rugby in the Premiership with Gloucester, while fly-half Dan Biggar recently agreed to join French giants Toulon from Northampton Saints.
In an ideal scenario, the four regional teams and WRU would be able to raise enough funds to rival the more lucrative locales elsewhere in Europe. Williams waited until the twilight of his career before he left the Ospreys for a move to Japan, but he doesn't begrudge the stars of today leaving Wales to optimise their earnings.
"We've got to bear in mind some of these players have families. Rugby's a short career. You don't know what's going to happen in your next training session or game, and you've got to look after yourself and your family.
"It's a fine line. We'd love to be able to give Dan Biggar £500,000 a year to come back to the Ospreys, but it just isn't the case. So Wales just have to realise, 'Look, we just need our international players playing rugby week in, week out at a high standard,' whether it's in France, England or Wales."
That increasing allure to leave Wales' borders is another detriment to the nation's hopes of renewing their former strength in depth. That being said, Jones and other experienced members of the current squad will have more chances to prove they belong between now and next year's World Cup.
Shane Williams will be commentating for Prime Video this weekend. Prime Video is the home of Wales’ Autumn Nations Series matches in November, including this Saturday’s fixture against Georgia.
