Alun Wyn Jones responds to 'uncle' Eddie after England coach reports him

Wales captain Alun Wyn Jones has joked that he will “have a chat with Uncle Eddie” following the England coach’s antics ahead of Saturday’s Six Nations clash at Twickenham.

The former Australia chief lodged a complaint about the Ospreys lock’s conduct in last weekend’s win against Scotland with World Rugby, taking issue with Jones’ questioning of Peter Horne’s late try when Finn Russell was preparing to take the conversion.

Eddie Jones has also targeted Scarlets fly-half Rhys Patchell, claiming to have doubts over whether Wales’ “third-choice 10” has the bottle to perform on the big stage.

“I’ve not seen an exact transcription of Eddie Jones’ comments, so I can’t comment too much on the specifics,” Alun Wyn Jones told reporters.

“But it was more important that World Rugby, when they were asked for clarification, came back and essentially said that they saw nothing untoward with what happened.

“More importantly, [referee] Pascal [Gauzere] at the time, had no issue, or no issue after the game.

Captain Alun Wyn Jones gets amongst the media huddle to discuss some talking points ahead of #ENGvWAL. pic.twitter.com/n43OR8r2um

— Welsh Rugby Union ??????? (@WelshRugbyUnion) February 9, 2018

“I’m very grateful that Eddie has flagged that up with World Rugby. I’ll keep doing what I’m doing and keep within the spirit of the game.

“It is the sort of thing that you can choose your friends, but you can’t choose your family, so I think I will have to have a chat with Uncle Eddie after the game.

“Ultimately, as players, we are inside the tent and we have got to deal with that happens between the white lines.”

On Patchell, he added: “People forget that Rhys Patchell has been around the squad for a good few years now. He’d probably like a few more caps, as would people that have been in amongst it.

“It is a step up, nobody’s going to deny that. But Patch is ready for that and he’s focused on the job in hand.”