But before he heads down under for a third successive Lions tour, the Wales skipper is determined to get back into action with the Ospreys to help them in their quest to win a fifth Guinness PRO2 title.
“It was disappointing to get injured when I did, but I’ve had a four-week wait before sitting down with the consultant and he’s happy that I don’t need an operation. That’s something which has been hanging over me and has been hard to take,” said Jones.
“But the shoulder’s good and I’m ahead of schedule. Rehab has gone well and now I’d like to get a game or two under my belt before the tour – maybe more if all goes well for the Ospreys.
“It’s a bit of history repeating itself from last year, but it’s highly likely I’m going to feature before the end of the season this time. We’ve got a couple of huge matches ahead that I’d like to be involved in and, whether that happens for me or not, if we get the right performance in those, we’ll extend the season beyond the first week of May which has always been a target for us.”
Jones has been using the hyperbaric chamber at the South Wales Multiple Sclerosis Therapy Centre in Swansea to try to speed up his recovery as he does all he can to join an exclusive band of players who have been on three Lions tours.
Wales team mate Leigh Halfpenny will join him on a third tour and they will join a group of 27 players who have done the hat-trick. Brian O’Driscoll went on four tours, while two other Irish legends, Willie John McBride and Mike Gibson went on five.
“I think one Lions tour alone, something that so many never get to achieve, is a very special achievement for any player. To be selected a third time, well, there’s an element of surrealness about it,” admitted Jones.
“However many times you hear your name called, you know you’ve been very fortunate to hear it – and you know that you have to go out and do the shirt justice. You’ve got to look at it with a sense of enjoyment.
“It’s not something that gets done every day and there’ll be a lot of firsts for a lot of people on this tour – you’ve got to enjoy the challenge, those special moments, and relish the experience.
“Whether it’s day to day here at Llandarcy with the Ospreys, with Wales, or in New Zealand in the summer, you can’t shy away from difficult challenges. You have to look forward with excitement and I’m sure the squad that flies out there this summer will do just that.”
Jones will get the chance to join the most exclusive band of Lions in New Zealand if he can play in a winning Test team against the All Blacks this summer. He was a 67th minute replacement in the third Test win over South Africa in 2009, won the first and third Tests in Australia in 2013 and is one win away from joining only six other players to have played in winning Test match with the Lions in the three southern hemisphere countries.
Wales lock Rhys Williams and Irish wing Tony O’Reilly were winners with the Lions in South Africa in 1955 and New Zealand and Australia in 1959, while Ieuan Evans, Jeremy Guscott and Jason Leonard were victors over the Wallabies in 1989, won the second Test in New Zealand in 1993 and all helped the Lions win the series in South Africa in 1997.
Multiple Lions Tourists
5 (2)
Mike Gibson (Ireland) 1966, 1971, 1974, 1977, 1980
Will John McBride (Ireland) 1962, 1966, 1968, 1971, 1974
4 (1)
Brian O’Driscoll (Ireland) 2001, 2005, 2009, 2013
3 (27)
Neil Back (England) 1997, 2001, 2005
Fran Cotton (England) 1974, 1977, 1980
Gordon Brown (Scotland) 1971, 1974, 1977
Lawrence Dallaglio (England) 1997, 2001, 2005
Matt Dawson (England) 1997, 2001, 2005
Gareth Edwards (Wales) 1968, 1971, 1974
Ieuan Evans (Wales) 1989, 1993, 1997
Scott Gibbs (Wales) 1993, 1997, 2001
Will Greenwood (England) 1997, 2001, 2005
Jeremy Guscott (England) 1989, 1993, 1997
Richard Hill (England) 1997, 2001, 2005
Andy Irvine (Scotland) 1974, 1977, 1980
Dickie Jeeps (England) 1955, 1959, 1962
Martin Johnson (England) 1993, 1997, 2001
Jason Leonard (England) 1993, 1997, 2001
Bryn Meredith (Wales) 1955, 1959, 1962
Syd Millar (Ireland) 1959, 1962, 1968
Paul O’Connell (Ireland) 2005, 2009, 2013
Ronan O’Gara (Ireland) 2001, 2005, 2009
Graham Price (Wales) 1977, 1980, 1983
Derek Quinnell (Wales) 1971, 1977, 1980
Simon Shaw (England) 1997, 2005, 2009
Jeff Squire (Wales) 1977, 1980, 1983
Delme Thomas (Wales) 1966, 1968, 1971
Martyn Williams (Wales) 2001, 2005, 2009
Shane Williams (Wales) 2005, 2009, 2013
Dai Young (Wales) 1989, 1997, 2001
