Wales scrum coach Duncan Jones has been forced to leave the Six Nations camp following a freak leg injury sustained during training. Jones will undergo surgery on Friday after damaging both knees in a collision with one of the Wales players this week.
He will not travel to Twickenham. Forwards coach Danny Wilson has assumed scrum responsibilities over recent days, with Wales considering bringing in a replacement, depending on the surgical outcome. It represents an unwelcome disruption for head coach Steve Tandy ahead of the journey to face England, where Wales’ scrum will face a stern examination against one of the tournament’s finest packs.
Tandy said: “It’s tough. It’s an absolute freak injury. Duncan brings so much energy to the group, and he’s buzzing around, and it’s just a freak collision, a high-impact collision. He’s suffered injuries to both knees so it is a blow for us because of what Duncan brings.
“He was still in camp on Wednesday reviewing the scrums. He couldn’t get out on the field obviously and he will have an operation tomorrow to get that fixed. I’m just disappointed for Duncan because I know how much it means to him to be around the group. We love having him in the environment. The players absolutely respect what he does.
“It is a distraction but ultimately our feelings are with Duncan. We wish him a speedy recovery. He’s already thinking about how he can get out on crutches.”
On the incident itself, Tandy added: “It was just playing games. The boys were playing a game, he was going to put a ball in. He tried to get up but couldn’t. We moved him off the field and he’s had scans and been to see a surgeon, which is crazy for a coach.”
Bath youngster Archie Griffin is Wales’ starting tighthead, with veteran Tomas Francis set to make his international return in the second half from the replacements bench. Dewi Lake and Nicky Smith make up the starting front row.
Jones was part of the Wales set-up during the autumn, alongside Rhys Patchell (skills and kicking) and Dan Lydiate (defence), with all three selected once again for the Six Nations.
The former Ospreys prop served as the Ospreys’ scrum coach in 2018, earning promotion to first-team coach under Toby Booth in 2020, with the 47-year-old, who earned 57 caps for Wales between 2001 and 2009, continuing in that position today.
Following his initial selection for the autumn internationals, Tandy said of Jones: “To see the excitement with Duncan was awesome. The passion, but also the care he has for players and how he would do anything to coach Wales.”