AWJ is retiring !!!!!

I have put this on the Ospreys season thread, but thought it might need one of it's own for us all to discuss:-

Feck me, I have just here'd some shatty news, wayne I am looking for you to confirm on this, but AWJ might retire from rugby all together, apparently he has a problem with his left foot and an achilles problem with his right foot, all I could find was this article in the French news paper l'equipe:-


Alun-Wyn Jones vers la retraite
Le deuxième ligne international gallois des Ospreys, Alun-Wyn Jones (30 ans, 98 sélections) va-t-il mettre un terme à sa carrière dans les prochaines semaines ? Absent en raison d’une blessure à un pied, il n’avait pas pu terminer le Tournoi des 6 Nations et n’est toujours pas revenu à la compétition. Il ne devrait pas postuler à la tournée du pays de Galles au mois de juin en Nouvelle-Zélande. Sa carrière est aujourd’hui compromise a-t-il confié ce dimanche à WalesOnline : « J’ai un problème à la voûte plantaire du pied gauche et une tendinite au talon d’Achille au pied droit. C’est dû à l’usure, je pense. Je ne sais pas où j’en suis, physiquement parlant. Je n’ai qu’un mince espoir de rejouer un jour. » Le joueur des Ospreys, approché par Toulon à l’automne dernier, était pressenti pour être le capitaine des Lions Britanniques et Irlandais en 2017. Sa retraite anticipée constituerait un véritable coup de tonnerre pour la Principauté et Warren Gatland.




Translated:-


Lun-Wyn Jones to Retirement
The second line Welsh international Ospreys, Alun-Wyn Jones (30 years, 98 selections) va-t-it put an end to his career in the next few weeks? Absent due to an injury to a foot, he had not been able to complete the 6 Nations Tournament and is still not income to the competition. It should not apply to the tour of the country of Wales in the month of June in New Zealand. His career today is compromised a-t-he entrusted this Sunday in WalesOnline: "I have a problem to the plantar arch of the left foot and a tendinitis of the Achilles heel to the right foot. This is due to the wear, I think. I do not know where I am, physically speaking. I have a slender hope to replay a day. "The Player Ospreys, approached by Toulon in the autumn of last year, was approached to be the captain British and Irish Lions in 2017. His early retirement would constitute a real coup of thunder for the principality and Warren Gatland.


I have also found this on WOL:-

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-news/alun-wyn-jones-brutally-honest-11230923



What a loss he would be to the game if this is true. At 30yrs old he should still have at least 5yrs left in him at the top level, this just goes to show the miss management in the game in the NH and how our season's schedules are all to cack.

Great player and leader - Wales aren't short of quality second rows but AWJ is a world class lock, at the peak of his power and would be a massive loss to Wales and the Ospreys if this is true.

I'm struggling to understand why you think hes retiring or even where you get it from, when all he says is he is focusing on getting fit.

If it's true then glad to hear it. He's done enough.
Why run to standstill or set yourself up for a crippled-with-arthritis future?
Time to put the feet up and watch the younger boys from the sidelines.
He doesn't owe anybody anything.

True Raven wrote:I'm struggling to understand why you think hes retiring or even where you get it from, when all he says is he is focusing on getting fit.

One of the people who run Merthyr RFC told me he here'd the news. I went on-line to find any credible sources but I could only find what I have put on here. 

I hope you are right, and I don't think he should play any part in the summer tests, but from what I was told he is seriously considering his future.

????!

Has Lord led us down a rash track????

Get Dom Day on the phone...

Again, you lead with a misleading headline Dowlais. Don't you think you should be using question marks, instead of exclamation marks?

Wales have enough strength in depth in the second row to cope with Alun Wyn Jones' retirement. We have the likes of Jake Ball, Luke Charteris, Bradley Davies, Andrew Coombs, Dominic Day, Josh Turnbull, Lou Reed and others to fill his boots.

That sounds illegal though. Too many players me thinks. The rule makers are strict on these things.

So this thread has been created with no substance but someone from Merthyr said it so it must be true

You don't do the headlines for a well known, poorly constructed but strangely popular Welsh news outlet do you LD?

True Raven wrote:So this thread has been created with no substance but someone from Merthyr said it so it must be true

Probably a more reliable source than the other one he always uses, aka The Fail

I was doing this more in coherence with what the French newspaper was saying, what I also found interesting was that AWJ turned down the chance to sign with Toulon being confirmed by them as well.

For the record, I just think he is pleading to be rested. Give him the summer off I say.

LordDowlais wrote:I was doing this more in coherence with what the French newspaper was saying, what I also found interesting was that AWJ turned down the chance to sign with Toulon being confirmed by them as well.

For the record, I just think he is pleading to be rested. Give him the summer off I say.

As I said on the Ospreys topic, there is nothing more on that Le Equipe article than on the Q&A sequence from the Fail, I'm with True Raven on this.
Lord he was linked with the Toulon story around about the time of the European debacle, when everything was settled on that story, he was happy to stay with us.
What is more important is the fact that he was played when only 80% fit by Team Wales, it is not as if we are short of competent locks, probably not of his class but decent enough.
Let me finally add he is an invaluable member of our squad as he can and has played 2nd row in the front and rear lineout positions, whoever is available.

wayne wrote:

LordDowlais wrote:I was doing this more in coherence with what the French newspaper was saying, what I also found interesting was that AWJ turned down the chance to sign with Toulon being confirmed by them as well.

For the record, I just think he is pleading to be rested. Give him the summer off I say.

As I said on the Ospreys topic, there is nothing more on that Le Equipe article than on the Q&A sequence from the Fail, I'm with True Raven on this.
Lord he was linked with the Toulon story around about the time of the European debacle, when everything was settled on that story, he was happy to stay with us.
What is more important is the fact that he was played when only 80% fit by Team Wales, it is not as if we are short of competent locks, probably not of his class but decent enough.
Let me finally add he is an invaluable member of our squad as he can and has played 2nd row in the front and rear lineout positions, whoever is available.

Downside to the WRU holding 60% of his contract is that you can't really complain when they do play players who are carrying knocks. But I do think Gatlanf really has issues with managing players injuries, it seems as long as they are able to stand then they can play.

international198 wrote:Wales have enough strength in depth in the second row to cope with Alun Wyn Jones' retirement. We have the likes of Jake Ball, Luke Charteris, Bradley Davies, Andrew Coombs, Dominic Day, Josh Turnbull, Lou Reed and others to fill his boots.

Yikes, lose a world class operator and leader like AWJ and replace him with the likes of umm, Turnbull and Reed...

Mikes, I'm honestly stumped here. When did Lou or Coombs last play a regional game?

international198 wrote:Wales have enough strength in depth in the second row to cope with Alun Wyn Jones' retirement. We have the likes of Jake Ball, Luke Charteris, Bradley Davies, Andrew Coombs, Dominic Day, Josh Turnbull, Lou Reed and others to fill his boots.

AWJ is the best second row in the NH, all of these guys aren't even at his shoelace level.

Coombs and Turnbull arent even second rowers.

ScarletSpiderman wrote:Mikes, I'm honestly stumped here.  When did Lou or Coombs last play a regional game?

Ask 198...

The actual headline for this story is that Jones regrets that he didn't own up to being not really match-fit for the 6N and probably shouldn't have put his hand up to be included.

He's still hoping to be involved before end of season and has every intention of going on the NZ tour.

How this was re-interpreted into him retiring is odd.

Might be useful to re-word the headline.

Pot Hale wrote:The actual headline for this story is that Jones regrets that he didn't own up to being not really match-fit for the 6N and probably shouldn't have put his hand up to be included.

He's still hoping to be involved before end of season and has every intention of going on the NZ tour.

How this was re-interpreted into him retiring is odd.

Might be useful to re-word the headline.

Spot on Pot Hale, I alluded to the same above.

Is Lord Dowlais really Andy Howell ? #Clickbait

I do wonder. It would make sense how many clicks he tries generating.

Regardless, I find his refusal to edit this article and the misleading one he did on the international board staggering.

VinceWLB wrote:

international198 wrote:Wales have enough strength in depth in the second row to cope with Alun Wyn Jones' retirement. We have the likes of Jake Ball, Luke Charteris, Bradley Davies, Andrew Coombs, Dominic Day, Josh Turnbull, Lou Reed and others to fill his boots.

AWJ is the best second row in the NH, all of these guys aren't even at his shoelace level.

Coombs and Turnbull arent even second rowers.

And Day is off to the land of the rising Yen.

LordDowlais wrote:I went on-line to find any credible sources but I could only find what I have put on here.

That is brilliantly honest!

Epic thread.

Somebody said AWJ and World class in the same sentence....