Jones excited by firepower of Wales’ young guns

STEPHEN Jones has hailed the ability and enthusiasm of Wales’ younger generation as they prepare for a World Cup quarter-final showdown with Six Nations rivals Ireland.

Wales coach Warren Gatland’s matchday squad on Saturday could comprise a third or more of players aged 23 and under. And fly-half Jones, the most capped player in Welsh rugby history with 102 Test appearances, believes their impact cannot be understated.

Players like skipper Sam Warburton, his back-row colleagues Dan Lydiate and Tony Faletau, wing George North, centre Scott Williams and wing Leigh Halfpenny have all made significant contributions towards a World Cup campaign that could be Wales’ best since 1987.

“Team morale is fantastic,” Jones said. “The younger players have a high rugby ability, and they’ve gone out there and enjoyed throwing the ball around. They have been top-drawer.

“They are fearless. They back themselves, and the fact so many good youngsters have come through has really had a good knock-on effect throughout the whole squad. It is certainly the most competitive squad I have been a part of.

“It is great for us that everyone is challenging and everyone is knocking on the door.”

No-one has made a bigger impression during Wales’ World Cup journey than 6ft 4in teenager North, who made every New Zealand newspaper’s team of the pool stage. He has amassed nine tries in 12 Tests – three during the World Cup – and could perhaps produce the spark that might take Wales into a semi-final against England or France.

“George is a great person, such a likeable guy,” added his Scarlets colleague Jones. “He is a good professional who works very hard on his game. He is ambitious and I can’t speak highly enough of the guy.

“Both teams are going into this game on the back of good performances and I am sure the mood is high in both camps. It’s special, simple as that, because of the excitement, the occasion and what it means. It is the quarter-final of the World Cup.

“A mixture in our performance is key. What we can’t become is predictable in our attack. We have to have variety and I am confident the game plan we have gives us that.

“We need to go out and express ourselves. There is good belief. We need to be brave and play with a lot of excitement. It is purely concentrating on ourselves, getting our own house in order and ensuring we are as prepared as we can be.”