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The 37-year-old lock should have a busy night on Wednesday
Baa-Baas coach John Mulvihill has revealed that Wales legend Alun Wyn Jones is very likely to play for both the Barbarians and Swansea when the sides meet at St Helen’s tomorrow.
Australian coach Mulvihill, who takes the reins of the invitational side for the match to celebrate Swansea’s 150th anniversary, said: “You’ll probably see him (Jones) in an All Whites jersey in the second half.
“He might lead the Swansea team out at half-time.
“I was still taken aback that he wanted to play. He said ‘it’s in my parish and I want to play against my team’.”
Former Ospreys, Wales and British & Irish Lions lock Jones, 37, led Barbarians in a win over the World XV on Sunday. In a 14-try match, the Baa-Baas triumphed 48-42. And the icing on the cake for spectators at Twickenham was seeing second-row Jones miss a conversion with the last kick of the match.
Has Alun Wyn Jones retired?
In mid May, Welsh heroes Alun Wyn Jones and Justin Tipuric retired from international rugby with immediate effect, meaning that neither star will play in the Rugby World Cup in France in September.
Jones leaves the Test arena with 158 Wales caps and a further 12 British & Irish Lions Tests – making him the most capped player in history.
However, the situation with his club contract is an unusual one. The lock’s current deal at the Ospreys reportedly runs out after the World Cup concludes. And according to this week’s Baa-Baas boss, he doesn’t expect Jones to hang up the boots completely then.
“I don’t think it’s going to be his sign-off, he’s got a few miles to go yet,” said Mulvihill ahead of the Barbarians and Swansea match. “He’s done everything in the game for Wales and the British & Irish Lions, 17 years as a professional Test player. He’s massive, people around the world know who Al is.”
If Jones signs on to play elsewhere, where would you like to see him go? Let us know via rugbyworldletters@futurenet.com or via social media.
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