By Gareth James
Alun Wyn Jones has accepted he will make rugby history on Saturday without his family present.
The Wales skipper will win his 149th Test cap in the Six Nations finale with Scotland in Llanelli.
But a request to the Welsh Government for a dispensation for his family to attend despite the current lockdown rules was turned down.
“The question was asked,” Jones said about whether his family would be able to attend the game.
https://twitter.com/WelshRugbyUnion/status/1321768910803345408
“Had it been different, a normal occasion, we would have cracked on and nothing would have been said.
“Permission was asked from the government for an exceptional circumstances. But in the grand scheme, one day in a lifetime is nothing considering we are in a hard lockdown and large parts of Wales were in local lockdowns before that.
“Our families are very understanding and the difficult part of it is, if this was an away game it would be easy to take in many ways.
“But the fact it’s at home and we can’t have fans, we can’t have family, it is what it is.
“The ability to just have the game is far and away the overriding pleasing point of it all.”
Jones will set the Test record 14 years after making his debut – in the back row and not at lock – on the 2006 summer Tour to Argentina.
The 35-year-old – who will win his 140th Wales cap having also made nine appearances for the British Lions – will move ahead of New Zealand flanker Richie McCaw.
Jones looks set to extend the record even further in the coming weeks and could yet lead the Lions on next year’s tour to South Africa.
“You are only as good as your next one as your last one,” said Jones, who has always been modest about his own achievements.
“I am just conscious who I do it for, what I do it for, and where I am from, and I will treat Saturday in the same vein.
“I want to get out and play, get the performance we need. I am hugely flattered, but ultimately it is words and the game will move on next week and that’ll be that focus.”
Jones expects an improved display from Wales after last week’s friendly defeat in France made it four losses in a row to pile the pressure on head coach Wayne Pivac.
But they face a Scottish side on a three-game winning streak and brimming with confidence.
Jones said: “Physically and fitness-wise we were there, but from our game ready, essentially we got found out and credit to France for taking those opportunities.
“There was a clear view of what we need to improve on and the physicality and collision area of the game needs to increase.
“Ultimately elite sport and international rugby is about winning and that starts with performance.
“Scotland have arguably got one of the best brands of rugby out there. They’ve added guys to the squad who’ve done well and been very successful of late, playing play-offs and finals rugby.
“They’ve got that game readiness and wealth of experience coming back to the squad, and they’ll be buoyed by the performance against Georgia. They’re definitely a team with a point to continue to prove.”