Former Stormer ready to be centre of attention in Six Nations
SPOTLIGHT: Scotland centre Huw Jones aims to carry on from where he left off when the 2024 Six Nations Championship gets underway this weekend.
The early stages of the Glasgow back’s international career were marked by try doubles against England in both the 2017 and 2018 editions.
However, Jones, who represented the Stormers in South Africa between 2014 and 2017, fell out of favour under Gregor Townsend and did not start in either the 2021 or 2022 Six Nations.
But the now 30-year-old regrouped with a spell at London club Harlequins before returning to Glasgow.
He scored four tries in last season’s Six Nations, a return that saw him named in the official team of the tournament and now Jones, who has 16 tries in 43 career Tests, is hoping to make an impact once again as Scotland prepare for their 2024 opener against Wales in Cardiff on Saturday.
“Having got back into the squad and the team for the last Six Nations, and getting an extended run of games, I find myself being a little more commanding in the position, and taking that ownership to the next level,” said Jones.
“When you get a run of games, anyone feels more confident. Going into this, it’s something I want to build on and be a player who guys will look to to break the game up or make a big play.
“I still feel I am learning, developing as a player across the board – strength, conditioning, skills – I am still learning my game. I definitely feel I have more to give.”
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For all that Scotland have made strides in recent years, including defeating Wales in Llanelli in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic, they haven’t won in Cardiff for 22 years – when coach Townsend was their flyhalf.
“It’s not really been a huge talking point for us,” Jones said. “We are obviously aware of it but it’s not a primary motivation, to go and break a record.
“We did it with England [winning at Twickenham], beat France away, there’s a few things we have done to change those records. So it’s not a huge talking point but having done it a couple of times makes it less daunting.”
