| Venue: Principality Stadium, Cardiff Date: Saturday, 19 March Kick-off: 14:15 GMT |
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Wales head coach Wayne Pivac says he expects Alun Wyn Jones to play on the 2023 World Cup.
Second row Jones, 36, will change into the primary participant on the earth to win 150 caps when Wales face Italy on Saturday.
Subsequent 12 months’s World Cup in France could be the fifth of the British and Irish Lions captain’s illustrious profession.
“I hope so as a result of we have contracted him that far. There was by no means any query in my thoughts, except there was harm,” stated Wales head coach Wayne Pivac.
“He clearly has to keep up kind and be selectable. Definitely he and I’ve the understanding that is his goal, that is what he is going in direction of and we have actually mentioned that.”
If he achieves that goal, world-record cap holder Jones will have fun his thirty eighth birthday throughout the 2023 international match.
His subsequent speedy main milestone will come when Wales host Italy of their ultimate match of this 12 months’s Six Nations.
For the second time in lower than a 12 months, the veteran lock has defied medical predictions to make an early return to motion.
Final summer season he captained the Lions of their Check collection in opposition to South Africa after swiftly overcoming a shoulder harm.
And after struggling one other shoulder drawback in Wales’ autumn Check in opposition to New Zealand 5 months in the past – he required two operations – many forecasts instructed Jones may wrestle to play once more this season.
However he’s again and set to win his one hundred and fiftieth Wales cap alongside his 12 Lions Assessments, to stretch his world look document to 162 internationals.
“He is been with us just a few weeks and we have monitored him. He is skilled very nicely, ticked all of the packing containers,” stated Pivac.
“To be taking part in 150 Check matches, one thing nobody else on the planet has ever executed, simply reveals he is a particular particular person. We expect he is one who can come again as he is executed up to now.”
In Jones’ absence, fly-half Dan Biggar has captained Wales throughout this Six Nations marketing campaign, by which they misplaced of their penultimate 2022 match sport in opposition to Grand Slam-chasing France final Friday.
Biggar stays captain and can make his one hundredth look for Wales in opposition to Italy.
Pivac stated it was “positively” not a sentimental choice to pick Jones and Biggar, even when there may be little driving on Saturday’s match with Wales shedding three of their 4 matches to date.
“Definitely, nothing from the advertising and marketing division from the WRU [Welsh Rugby Union],” the New Zealander added.
“I might prefer to assume it places further bums on seats and I want to assume we get a sell-out crowd to recognise Dan’s achievement and Alun Wyn’s achievement, which no person else on the planet has executed.
“To have two guys obtain these milestones on the identical day is one thing particular. It is a rugby choice, that is what we’ve got determined, and we’re very snug with the choice.”
