Adam Jones is targeting a return to his Lions form ahead of this year’s World Cup.
Jones was one of the standout performers for Britain and Ireland’s elite in 2009 and now the Wales prop wants to hit those heights again at next month’s global gathering in New Zealand.
The 30-year-old Osprey appeared in the first two Tests for the Lions in South Africa, earning a reputation as one of the world’s finest front rowers with commanding performances in Durban and Pretoria.
But having helped shore up the Lions scrum following his introduction as a second-half replacement during the opening rubber against the Springboks, Jones has struggled to reproduce that scintillating form since returning home.
A dislocated shoulder ended his Lions adventure prematurely and an elbow injury saw him miss all but the final match of the most recent RBS 6 Nations campaign, leaving critics to suggest his ship may have now sailed.
He has since been warned by Wales boss Warren Gatland that he needs to lose weight in order to make his country’s World Cup squad but Jones himself insists he is fit and raring to go as Wales prepare to face England at Twickenham this weekend.
"I have been working hard with the Welsh fitness guys and I am looking forward to getting back to my Lions standards," Jones told the Western Mail.
"I am in good shape. Some newspaper articles said I was not in good shape but I have worked hard and feel good.
"Warren has told me before how hard he trained as a player. He just wants to put us through our paces and see if there are chinks in our armour."
Jones and his Wales team-mates have just come back from a second training camp in Spala, Poland, where they have been making the most of the high-tech facilities on offer.
Cyrotheraphy chambers allowed the Welsh squad to double the workload of a normal day’s training as they continued their preparations for a World Cup campaign that begins with a mouth-watering clash with reigning champions South Africa on September 11.
And while the camp was certainly intense and the training schedule relentless, Jones believes it will stand Wales in good stead for what will be a demanding couple of months.
"The training camp went well and the boys fronted up," added Jones.
"It is difficult because it was mentally and physically taxing. But we have trained three times' as much as we would have done back home. And we have not come back with many injuries, so it has worked out well.
"It was a good experience and we will use the benefits of that over the next few weeks."
