HIS BATTERED BODY might be giving him less trouble these days but former Wales captain Ryan Jones has to deal with a different kind of pain every February.
An ongoing shoulder issue forced Jones to hang up his boots as a Bristol player in August 2015, two years after winning his 75th, and final, international cap.
These days, the 34-year-old earns his keep at a major Cardiff law firm, along with some media work, but there is no doubting what he would rather be doing.
“I desperately, desperately miss rugby and I miss playing,” Jones told The42.
“Especially when it comes round to this time of year. The World Cup was particularly cruel as well. But I miss the Six Nations, it’s such a magic nine weeks.
“It’s something the Irish embrace hugely. And in Wales it’s such a massive occasion. All my mates are talking about it. My family are talking about it. I can’t wait for it to start really. I’d much prefer to be playing in it though.”
The Welsh fans, as usual, have travelled in their numbers across the Irish Sea to witness what will likely be a fiercely competitive beginning to the 2016 Six Nations for both sides.
The Ireland-Wales fixture has transformed into a different beast over the past decade. Three championships each over the past eight campaigns, a major Lions saga and deep-seated Pro12 grudges have added bulk to the frame of this rugby rivalry.
And Jones knows this better than most, having played against Ireland six times during his Wales career, finishing with four wins and two losses.
“There’s a huge Welsh-Irish rivalry,” explained Jones, who won four Six Nations with Wales and four Pro12 titles with Ospreys.
I think it’s borne out of the Pro12, firstly. There is a familiarity there and they say familiarity breeds contempt.
“And I think for many years we looked on with envy from within Welsh rugby at the success the Irish provinces were having.
“That was the model that opened the eyes of the Ospreys and it was what we strived to replicate.
“That being said, we had some pretty monumental Wales-Ireland clashes during my career. Throw a World Cup fixture in there (2011 quarter-final) and the Warren Gatland Lions saga (leaving Brian O’Driscoll out for the deciding test against Australia in 2013). It has all the ingredients for a great sporting rivalry.”
The latest installment of the rivalry is of monumental importance. A loss first up and your title aspirations are in freefall. And with a trip to Twickenham looming for both sides down the track, a winning start becomes even more important.
Irish rugby fans need a lift after four trying months. A victory tomorrow would be the proverbial full-Irish breakfast to clear the hangover still lingering from another gut-wrenching World Cup quarter-final exit.
The European failings of Leinster, Munster and Ulster have worsened the dose with Connacht the only Irish side offering any kind of cure in the intervening months between the major international competitions.
Ireland and Wales both exited the World Cup at the quarter-final stage, to southern hemisphere opposition. Wales, in fact, lost two matches during the tournament to Ireland’s one. Yet the attitude across the Irish Sea is at the different end of the spectrum.
With so many of Wales’ international stars plying their trade overseas, a slide in the form of their domestic sides doesn’t weigh on the mind of Joe Supporter to the same extent.
And with Warren Gatland in charge and the likes of Jonathan Davies returning, Wales know that they have the coach, system and personnel for a winning, Six-Nations formula. And that is something not lost on the Wales fans.
“There is a bit of optimism around,” Jones explained.
We had a pretty good World Cup. We exceeded many people’s expectations.
“And the big expectation now is that we should be a bit better come the Six Nations. We have a very organised and very experienced Wales squad.
“And Wales over the last decade or so have had quite a bit of success. That being said, the team they’ve admired the most is Ireland.
“I thought Ireland were generally very good in the World Cup, aside from a tough day against Argentina.”
The build-up to major sporting events is at least half the fun, and the Six Nations is no different. And among the hype, there have been whispers that Wales might consider a more expansive game-plan. But Jones dismissed that as nonsense.
“I imagine it will be business as usual,” Jones said. “It’s a model that works. It’s tried and tested and the players understand it.
“The players will be able to slot into the system very quickly. They’ll know what they have to do and that allows them to get up to speed at a serious pace.”
For all the pre-tournament hype about new dawns, Ireland and Wales remain largely known quantities.
Scotland, under Vern Cotter, are difficult to pigeon-hole. Their agonising World Cup quarter-final defeat to Australia proved that they have another gear; not even closely related to their sluggish, conservative style we have become used to.
France, under new coach, and rugby purist, Guy Novès are bound to entertain but are difficult to assess as of yet.
Most of the pre-tournament talk has surrounded England, and how Eddie Jones can help them put their World Cup misery to bed.
The appointment of his Australian namesake is a clever one, Jones said.
“I’m quite excited about Eddie’s involvement,” the 2008 Grand Slam-winning captain explained.
With one of the world’s best coaches and one of the largest player bases in world rugby, that makes for an exciting combination.
“I’ve never been coached by Eddie Jones. But I have spoken to people who know him and have been involved with his set-ups.
“He plays with a great pace and tempo which they possibly haven’t done in recent times. And you can see that from the squad he has picked.
“That’s a huge part of this Six Nations, it’s the unknown. They have the potential, of course, to go on and win it, even win it well, and we will see if they have progressed at all from the World Cup.
“You have to be mindful as well that new coaches in all sports tend to have an immediate impact. The guys coming in will be very keen to impress. They’ll be playing with a new energy and that will make them dangerous.
“I think it all makes for a wonderful Six Nations, really. This Ireland game first up is massive though.”
Ryan Jones is a market-leading speaker on motivation & leadership; contact esportif.com for enquiries.