The tousled-haired prop, nicknamed Polar, admits he has not been able to watch the video nasty of the clash Down Under against Italy in which he broke his leg.
But he insists the heartbreak of Australia is a distant memory as he prepares to brush the Scottish front-row aside at the Millennium Stadium.
“I was so gutted, not so much with the injury but the timing – it couldn’t have been worse,” said Jones.
“I had mixed feelings watching the boys afterwards, I was disappointed not to be there but proud that I had played my part.
“But it was just a case of putting it behind me and getting on with recovering as quickly as possible. That’s why I haven’t watched the video of the game, I don’t want to see it, I don’t want to dwell on it.
“Psychologically I’m fine. My first game back was away to Toulouse so if I had held back at all I would have got hurt.”
What made the timing even worse for Jones was that he had been in the form of his life up until his lonely flight back home. But it is that form that has earned him a recall.
“I was pleased with how I was playing at the World Cup because there was so much competition,” he said.
“But I knew I couldn’t rest on that. It’s history. This tournament is a new slate for everyone and a new beginning.
“It’s important to get off to a good start in the Six Nations against Scotland, though we can’t worry about the scoreboard. We have done in the past and it’s cost us.
“We know the Scottish pack have a strong reputation so we have to concentrate on doing our job, then the performance will come from that.”
