Date: Sunday, 8 February Kick-off: 1500 GMTVenue: Murrayfield
Coverage: Screened live on BBC ONE Wales and online plus full commentary on BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru and online & score updates on BBC Radio Five Live
 Double Grand Slam winner Ryan Jones has won just 27 Wales caps |
Ryan Jones has told his Grand Slam champions to learn lessons from history as Warren Gatland's men plot the defence of their RBS Six Nations crown. The current Wales captain was part of the victorious 2005 Grand Slam squad. But Wales' defence was engulfed in on and off-the-field turmoil as the Welsh won just once in their 2006 campaign. "The beauty of it is that a large group of players from 2005 and 2006 are still in the squad and we feel we have learned vitals lessons," said Jones. Wales' previous Grand Slam defence was plunged into turmoil as coach Mike Ruddock, the man who inspired Wales to the 2005 clean-sweep, left in the middle of the campaign. The Welsh won just once in 2006 - a 28-18 victory against Scotland at The Millennium Stadium - and suffered a 47-13 hammering by England at Twickenham, a 31-5 defeat in Ireland and were held by Italy in Cardiff. "We've learned not to do that again!," joked Lions back-rower Jones, ahead of Sunday's Six Nations opener in Scotland.  | Being favourites is something that Wales teams of the future should expect Wales coach Warren Gatland |
"I'm a big believer in moving on, 2006 has gone and we can only control what we do next. "What motivates this group is how good we can be as the exiting thing now is that we believe we have a foundation on which to build. "But we have to keep evolving and grow as a team, we can't rest on our laurels because that is when teams are in danger of getting caught out." Wales are favourites to win the Six Nations title for a 25th time - which would equal England's record - as coach Gatland's team aim to become the first team to win back-to-back Grand Slams in the Six Nations era. The Welsh have a history of not coping with the favourites tag and their 2006 defence is proof of that but Gatland wants his team to embrace and rise to the pressure rather than hide from it. "We feel we are the best team in the northern hemisphere," said Gatland. "And if we one want to be considered as one of the best teams in the world, we don't want it to be considered unusual to be favourites. "Being favourites is something that Wales teams of the future should expect." Jones, shortlisted for the IRB International Player of the Year award after leading Wales to Grand Slam glory, is one of the Ospreys galacticos in the Wales squad. | 606: DEBATE |
The 27-year-old is expected to join fellow Wales stars Mike Phillips, Lee Byrne, Gethin Jenkins, Stephen Jones, Shane Williams, Martyn Williams, Gavin Henson and Alun Wyn Jones on the summer's Lions tour to South Africa. "The challenge is to stay ahead of the pack," said Jones. "We must be innovative, try things different and making sure we have the belief that what we are doing is right and stick to it diligently. "I don't think we believed in our own hype last time, no. "We know the ones who were patting us on the back one week, would stick the knife in the following week. "The longer players spend in the game, they develop their own coping strategies as different boys deal with things in different ways - but it is something we have addressed as a group."
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