Jones: Wales inspired by thoughts of home
But the Ospreys prop also wishes he could go home “for an hour or so” just to witness the huge outpouring of support as Wales build towards a semi-final showdown with Six Nations rivals France.
More than 50,000 people have snapped up tickets to watch a big screen showing at the Millennium Stadium this morning, and Jones admits he can only imagine what the atmosphere will be like.
“I am sure it has gone crazy back home. It’s brilliant,” he said.
“You just wish you could go back there for an hour or so and see what it is like, then come back out here.
“I can’t imagine what it will be like if we get to the final.”
Whether or not Wales feature in the Eden Park finale against New Zealand or Australia will depend considerably on how they handle a French pack renowned for its set-piece efficiency and organisation.
And with Les Bleus having won nine of the last 11 fixtures against Wales, Jones and company know the chips are down.
The countries’ last meeting less than seven months ago saw France cruise to a 28-9 victory in Paris, and Jones admitted: “The boys let themselves down — we didn’t really turn up on the night.
“Whoever is more physical is going to win. I wouldn’t say they are as technical as a team like New Zealand, but the scrum is a massive part of their game. Whenever we have done well against them in the past, we’ve always done okay in the scrum.
“It (French scrum) is very much like the Argentinians. They do some things in the scrum where you can’t ever explain how they do it. I know they are big men, but we’ve got big men, too. It’s a strange thing. If you could put your finger on it you would make a bit of money.
“I thought the Lions tour in 2009 was a little bit extra on top of what you normally get in international rugby. It was a bit more manic, and there is also all the hype you get with these kind of games.
“I remembered being interviewed before the Natal game on the Lions tour, and there were about two people there, and then before the second Test there seemed like a thousand people. Saturday is one of those massive occasions.
“No-one wants to lose in a semi-final. Some people would probably say it is worse than losing a final.”
Wales, as they have been in all five of their World Cup games so far, will be led by flanker Sam Warburton.
Warburton, at 23 the youngest captain in World Cup history, has made a huge impression on his team-mates, and 74 times-capped Jones said: “He’s fantastic.
“He doesn’t say a lot, but what he does say makes sense. He doesn’t talk any rubbish.
“There aren’t any real speeches. It’s about switching your head on and getting on with it. There are no Winston Churchill-type speeches.
“He has done a hell of a job. Players follow him and trust him. He’s been outstanding, and he is going to have a pretty good career. Martyn Williams used to mention Sam a while back, talking about this kid who was going to come and take his place.”
WALES: L Halfpenny (Cardiff Blues); G North (Scarlets), J Davies (Scarlets), J Roberts (Cardiff Blues), S Williams (Ospreys); J Hook (Perpignan), M Phillips (Bayonne); G Jenkins (Cardiff Blues), H Bennett (Ospreys), A Jones (Ospreys), L Charteris (Newport Gwent Dragons), A-W Jones (Ospreys), D Lydiate (Newport Gwent Dragons), S Warburton (Cardiff Blues, capt), T Faletau (Newport Gwent Dragons).
Replacements: L Burns (Newport Gwent Dragons), P James (Ospreys), B Davies (Cardiff Blues), R Jones (Ospreys), L Williams (Cardiff Blues), S Jones (Scarlets), S Williams (Scarlets).
FRANCE: M Medard; V Clerc, A Rougerie, M Mermoz, A Palisson; M Parra, D Yachvili; J-B Poux, W Servat, N Mas, P Pape, L Nallet, T Dusautoir (capt), J Bonnaire, I Harinordoquy.
Replacements: D Szarzewski, F Barcella, J Pierre, F Ouedraogo, F Trinh-Duc, J M Doussain, C Heymans.
Referee: Alain Rolland (Ireland).
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