Scarlets and Wales prop Wyn Jones spoke to the media ahead of Saturday’s return to rugby against Cardiff Blues.
Here’s what Wyn had to say about lockdown on the farm, weddings and getting back out on the Parc
Wyn, first of all, how was the lockdown period for you?
WJ: “I suppose it is the same as everyone else, you worry for family and friends, it was a tough time for everyone. As a rugby player probably the last last thing you thought about was rugby, you were made to realise there were bigger things going on and spending more time with the family was something I enjoyed. It’s important to look after your loved ones.
“I was also able to spend plenty of time on the family farm, lots of work to do and lots of space to keep fit! I sheared the sheep, did a bit of fencing work, anything my dad asked me to do really. Hopefully I was a lot of help to them. I enjoyed it.
“I do think the time away from the game has done a lot of us good, especially after World Cup year. I certainly felt better and refreshed coming back in. Niggles which you would normally roll from week to week are healed and you can see that boys have got a skip in their step and are ready to play.”
The last couple of weeks could have been very different for you?
WJ: “Yes, I was meant to get married last Saturday, but we have postponed it for 12 months. Hopefully all will go to plan next year. My partner Jeian was in charge of organising everything. I was just nodding in the background. I think she’s got everything ready for next year. In a way she’s had to organise it twice, it’s not ideal, but it’s what we’ve had to do. She would have been happier if it would have happened last week, but there’s nothing we can do about it.”
So how much are you looking forward to getting back out on the field?
WJ: “It is the start of some sense of normality. We have obviously missed playing and are all excited to be back on the park and having some competitive rugby. It will be different with no fans in the stadium, the boys really feed off the crowd at Parc y Scarlets, but once the whistle goes you focus on the rugby. Hopefully it will be a dry day and we can play a bit of rugby.”
What about the Scarlets’ chances of making the play-offs?
WJ: “To be honest, we haven’t spoken a lot about it, our aim is to go out there and enjoy playing again and hopefully we can get as many points as we can out of the next two games. Training has been great. We have a couple of new coaches, but the environment is very similar to before we went into lockdown. Boys are enjoying coming to work, boys are smiling around the place and that is key.”