Paul Rees 

Six Nations: Wales warn Adam Jones he will be sent home if overweight

Adam Jones, the Wales prop called in to replace the injured Craig Mitchell, must prove he has been on a diet
  
  

Adam Jones, of Wales
Adam Jones, of Wales, faces being left out of the Six Nations game against France if he has not been on a diet. Photograph: Scott Heavey/Getty Images Photograph: Scott Heavey/Getty Images

Wales have recalled the Lions tighthead prop Adam Jones for Saturday's Six Nations finale against France in Paris, but he has been warned that if he turns up for training on Tuesday overweight he will be sent straight back home.

Jones has played for only 20 minutes since damaging elbow ligaments two months ago, coming on as a replacement for Ospreys at the start of the month. He has been called up because his replacement, Craig Mitchell, dislocated his right shoulder against Ireland on Saturday and will not play again this season.

"It is unfortunate for Craig who had had a great campaign," Gatland said after the victory over Ireland. "He has given us that depth we were looking for in the position and he has really come on. I hope Adam has been training hard because he knows if he turns up on Tuesday overweight he will be sent home. He might be in the sauna tomorrow."

Gatland has set Jones a maximum target weight of 122kg. "I told him last year that if he came into camp over that he would going straight back home," said Gatland before the start of the tournament. "And if he exceeded it during the week of a game, he would be dropped to the bench.

"Our analysts have made a correlation between his weight and the number of rucks he hits. When his body weight is high, the number of hits is low and when his weight comes down the hits go up. He is someone who only has to look at food to put weight on and he has worked incredibly hard."

Gatland has also called the 18-year-old Scarlets wing George North into the squad. He won three caps in November but suffered a shoulder injury and only returned for his region last month.

Gatland has put back the announcement of his side, which was due to be named on Tuesday, by 24 hours so that he can assess the fitness of Jones. Wales have a mathematical chance of winning the title, but England have a superior points difference of 42.

Wales's victory over Ireland, only their second in the fixture in Cardiff since 1983, was achieved through a try by Mike Phillips after a quick throw-in that should not have been allowed because the ball had been handed to the Wales captain, Matthew Rees, who took the throw, by a ballboy, in contravention of the game's laws.

The handover was missed by the referee, Jonathan Kaplan, and the touch judge Peter Allan even though it happened close to where they were standing. The pair were interviewed on Monday by the International Rugby Board's referee manager, Paddy O'Brien.

The IRB is likely to conclude its review on Tuesday when a formal apology will be made to Ireland, who lost the match by six points. Kaplan and Allan face being censured and downgraded. Last year the South African official, Cobus Wessels, was demoted to television match official after his recommendation as a touch judge that the Australia wing Drew Mitchell should be sent to the sin-bin for a high tackle during a Tri-Nations Test against New Zealand was found by the IRB to have been excessive. Mitchell later received a second yellow and was sent off.

Kaplan, one of the IRB's most experienced referees, is down to run the line at the Stade de France on Saturday, but it may be that Allan, who told the referee that Rees had used the same ball that had been kicked into touch when passing to Phillips, as the law requires, takes the fall.

 

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