Liam Williams has hailed Alun Wyn Jones’ “incredible” achievement as he prepares to break Wales’ international appearance record.
Wales captain Jones will win his 130th cap when he leads the team in Sunday’s World Cup Pool D clash against Australia at Tokyo Stadium.
It will see him overtake prop Gethin Jenkins’ Wales mark, and when Jones’ nine British and Irish Lions Test matches are added, he equals former Australia skipper George Gregan’s figure of 139 Test appearances.
Only New Zealand’s World Cup-winning captain Richie McCaw, former Ireland centre Brian O’Driscoll and Italy skipper Sergio Parisse will have played in more Tests than Jones after this weekend.
“It’s incredible,” Wales full-back Williams said. “I read something online that he has been playing for Wales for 13 years.
“I have been here for seven years and feel like I’ve been here for ages, and it’s almost double me!
“He is a great bloke and leads from the front. He speaks well, and does his talking on the pitch as well.
“He is a leader, and I’m sure it will be a great occasion for him on Sunday.
“He seems quite calm at the moment. He doesn’t unleash the fury – not on me anyway! He’s the skipper, he can do what he wants!”
Williams and Jones will be an integral part of Wales’ bid for only a second victory in the last 15 Tests against Australia.
Both players were involved when Wales ended a 13-match losing sequence at the Wallabies’ hands last November, and it is a game likely to decide Pool D.
For the winner on Sunday, that potentially means a quarter-final against France or Argentina, but the loser could end up meeting England.
Williams added: “I’ve played in a good couple of games against them, and it has always been nip and tuck and we’ve always come away on the losing end, except for the game last autumn.
“We are on the biggest stage of them all here at the Rugby World Cup, and it doesn’t matter who we play, we have to be at our best.
“If we are not at our best on the weekend, we’re going to lose badly, but I’m pretty sure the boys are in a good place. It has been a good week and we are really ready to go.”
Such has been the intensity of Wales’ preparations that Jones revealed blood was spilled during training on Thursday.
“It was a bit of argy-bargy,” Williams said. “There is always argy-bargy in rugby training. It was definitely not me!
“I wasn’t there, I was out of the way in the gym with the backs! I think someone split their eye, but it was just a clash of heads.”
Copy provided by Press Association Sport
