{"id":22458,"date":"2021-07-22T15:26:32","date_gmt":"2021-07-22T19:26:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/irishexaminerusa.com\/wp\/?p=22458"},"modified":"2021-07-23T09:31:49","modified_gmt":"2021-07-23T13:31:49","slug":"wyn-jones-lions-teammates-confident-in-his-recovery-from-injury","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/irishexaminerusa.com\/wp\/?p=22458","title":{"rendered":"Wyn Jones’ Lions Teammates Confident In His Recovery From Injury"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Alun Wyn Jones in action against the Stormers (Steve Haag\/PA)<\/figcaption><\/figure>Jack Conan believes British and Irish Lions captain Alun Wyn Jones has already \u201cput to bed\u201d any doubts about his remarkable injury recovery.<\/p>\n

Wales talisman Jones will win his 10th Lions Test cap in Saturday\u2019s series opener against South Africa, just four weeks after dislocating his shoulder.<\/p>\n

The seasoned lock has turned despair at a ruined tour into a stunning recovery and has proved his readiness for the weekend\u2019s first Test against the world champion Springboks.<\/p>\n

And Ireland number eight Conan hailed his Lions team-mate\u2019s return to action as a big boost to the tourists.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe way I recover from things, I\u2019d still be in a sling, so fair play to him,\u201d joked Conan.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a testament to how professional he is, how well he looks after himself.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I think any doubts he would have had were completely put to bed when he came off the bench the other day against the Stormers, with the physical impact he had straight off the bat.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo there\u2019s no doubt that he\u2019s going to just bring that again at the weekend.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a man that leads from the front, both with actions and words. And I think everyone\u2019s excited to see what he brings.\u201d<\/p>\n

Conan has won the nod at number eight, joining Courtney Lawes and Tom Curry in a balanced-looking back-row unit.<\/p>\n

The 28-year-old admitted that even in January a Lions place was nowhere near his rugby aims for 2021, given his lengthy injury battles.<\/p>\n

Conan was forced out of the 2019 World Cup with a foot injury, and has since had to contend with neck issues.<\/p>\n

But the Leinster star has fought back to full fitness and top form, and is now itching to kick on again.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Lions definitely wasn\u2019t on my wish list in January, I must say,\u201d said Conan.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt that stage it was just about getting fit again and not having these constant setbacks.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo I wasn\u2019t projecting myself too far forward, it was very much a take every day as it comes mindset.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd the Lions was not top of my list \u2013 far from it really!<\/p>\n

\u201cIt means a lot to be here now, and to look back to see all the hard work the people around me have put in, how much they\u2019ve helped me and how much I owe it to them.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s had a lot of ups and downs since the World Cup, the road to here hasn\u2019t always been easy, but it\u2019s definitely been worth it.<\/p>\n

\u201cLook, I obviously had a bad injury at the 2019 World Cup and didn\u2019t get to lay down the marker that I would have liked in that campaign.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen I didn\u2019t get the chance to play until late August 2020 because of the pandemic and everything else. So it was a bit of a disruptive route back into the game.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd even since then I\u2019ve had a few knocks, niggles and setbacks but thankfully the last few months, and hopefully the next few weeks, will be injury-free and help me play some good rugby.\u201d<\/p>\n

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