Alun Wyn Jones: Ospreys skipper could depart club next summer
Ospreys captain Alun Wyn Jones has admitted he could be one of the next big names to quit Welsh rugby in order to secure a lucrative move abroad.
The Wales international skippered the British Irish Lions to success in their series-deciding clash against Australia in the summer after international team-mate Sam Warburton was ruled out through injury.
Live on Sky Sports
Live European Cup Rugby Union
- Ospreys v Leinster
- October 12, 2013 5:45pm
Jones, 28, is in the final year of his current contract with the Ospreys and acknowledged he might well join the likes of Jamie Roberts, Dan Lydiate and George North in accepting a contract in France or England.
However, he insists he has not made up his mind one way or the other and believes it is down to his current employers to convince him to stay.
When asked if he could see himself moving on, he told Sky Sports: “I probably could. Do I want to, is another question. Is it up to me? Yes and no. If I could and it was the best fit for me I would.
“I’ve been pretty frank in my discussions (with Ospreys) that that decision has got to be made as difficult as possible for me to go, rather than an easy one to go, if that makes sense.
“Player management, longevity of my career etc, things like this I potentially may not get if I go, but could if I stay.
Future plans
“If it came down to it and it was double the wage, treble the wage I’m not going to be stupid enough to turn that down, you can’t. It’s a case of what’s best for me in the future rather than snatch and grab money-wise.”
Alun Wyn Jones would consider a lucrative move to France when his Ospreys contract runs out at the end of the season.
For the time being the imposing second-rower is focused on performing for Ospreys and claims European success is another achievement he is desperate to add to his CV.
No Welsh region has won the Heineken Cup in its 19-year history and last year Ospreys failed to make it out of the group stages – a result Jones is keen to put right this time around.
“(It’s now been) ten years of Ospreys rugby and we want to try and do something special with it,” he continued.
“I say this year on year at the ERC launches I’ve been to, I probably sound like a broken record, but it is always in the forefront. It’s just we need to be able to translate that form we’ve had in the Rabo into that competition.
“You’ve got to approach each season as if it’s exactly the same, that you’ve achieved nothing last year. A sort of ‘stop, carry on’ mentality and I find that pretty easy to do, I think if you dwell on the past you can set yourself up for a fall in the future, so it’s pretty simple.”
Ospreys captain Alun Wyn Jones admits he could quit Welsh rugby next summer
No comments:
Post a Comment