Jenkins: Losing Wales captaincy hurt me

Feb 18 2008 by Simon Thomas, Western Mail

GETHIN JENKINS has opened up over his huge disappointment at going from being Wales captain to sitting on the bench.

He’s revealed how his frustration has spurred him on to make a major impact as a sub in the first two games of the championship.

And now that he has the chance to start again, the Lions prop is determined to displace his long-time rival Duncan Jones as first-choice loosehead.

Jenkins enjoyed a career highlight back in November when he was named as skipper by caretaker coach Nigel Davies for the one-off Test against world champions South Africa.

But the arrival of new head coach Warren Gatland saw his fortunes dip dramatically as he was not only stripped of the captaincy but dropped to the bench, with Jones preferred in the No 1 jersey for the Six Nations opener at Twickenham.

“I was gutted,” admitted Jenkins. “The first week he (Gatland) turned up I realised I wasn't going to be starting. You can always sense from training whether you are going to be in the team or just on the outside looking in.

“I’m not saying I wasn’t made to feel part of it. It’s just I realised at the start that Duncan was ahead of me in the pecking order in his mind.

“To go from captain to the bench was really disappointing for me. But I’ve just kept my head down and got on with it.

“It’s always disappointing when you are dropped, but you’ve just got to work twice as hard then to get back in the team.

“When you are not picked, you’ve just got to take it on the chin and say, ‘It’s his opinion.’

“The coach has stressed that he knows what it’s like not to be picked. He’s said if you weren’t cheesed off, you shouldn’t be here, and I think everyone was.

“You’ve just got to believe in yourself and believe you can come back better. I’m not one to go and ask questions of why I’m not picked.

“I just worked at it and hoped to make as much impact as I could in the first two games.”

Jenkins has certainly done just that.

Against England at Twickers, he showed his versatility by coming on at tighthead for Adam Jones and played his part in Wales’ remarkable second-half comeback, handling crucially in Mike Phillips’ match-winning try.

Then, in last week’s Cardiff clash with Scotland, he replaced Duncan Jones on the loosehead and again made his presence felt as the hosts pulled clear to win 30-15.

“It’s been hard coming off the bench, but I do feel fresh coming on for the last half hour and I felt I made a good impact,” said the Blues star.

“The frustration of not starting definitely came out when I got on the field. Frustration builds up when you are sitting on the bench.

“When you get on there you just want to prove a point. Sometimes you just run round hitting rucks for 10 minutes without knowing what you are doing.

“But I enjoyed both the games. I had a few touches of the ball which is always nice and it was great to get the two wins.”

Now the 55-times capped Jenkins gets a chance to show Gatland what he can do from the start, having been named in an all-changed front row for Saturday’s Millennium meeting with Italy.

“I don’t think Duncan has been dropped,” he said. “I think the coach has obviously given the boys who haven’t played a chance.

“He’s given me, Matthew Rees and Rhys Thomas a chance to prove ourselves, so we’ve got to take that chance.

“I definitely want that No 1 jersey back. It’s an opportunity for me and an opportunity for all the boys that have come in to prove they can be wearing the jersey for the next game against Ireland.

“You only get the jersey for one game and I’m hoping to perform as well as I can to keep it for the game after.”

Following Jenkins’ outstanding efforts at Twickers, there was some speculation that he might start on the tighthead against Scotland, but in the end Gatland resisted that temptation.

“When I was told I was going on against England, I said ‘Who for?’ and it was Adam, so it was a case of ‘Right, I’m on the tighthead’ and I just got on with it,” said the 27-year-old.

“You don’t really think about it. I did all right against England so obviously people were saying perhaps I could play tighthead.

“I see myself as a loosehead, but if it comes to the fact that I have to play tighthead, then I’m covering it most weeks anyway. It’s not a massive difference to me really.

“Most of the technique stuff we do is both sides for me. I did one session last week and I was knackered because I had to keep swapping back and for each side.

“I don’t really get much of a rest as I can do both. But I enjoy it. It’s a good challenge for me and I just look forward to it.”

It will be his more familiar loosehead role that Jenkins will start out in on Saturday, which will see him face a stiff scrummaging challenge, whoever his opponent may be.

“Italy have got two great tightheads at the moment in Martin Castrogiovanni and Carlos Nieto,” he said.

“I’ve played against them both. They are quite different in technique, but they are both really strong physical guys.

“So I’ve got my work cut out and I’m going to have to scrummage well.”

As for the Azzurri in general, Jenkins added, “Some people take Italy lightly, but it’s going to be a tough game for us.

“You know what you are going to get with them – a big, strong forward pack and a good kicking game – and they’ll just dog out and stay in the game as long as they can.

“I think we need a good start against them because once they get a bit of confidence they can kill the game.

“They are pretty similar to the French forward-wise, in that they’ve got strong, big men who like to keep it tight with driving play and stuff like that.

“We know we’ve got to work hard and try and move them around the field and make them work.

“Plus we’ve got to use our backs. We’ve got great skill in our backs and great flair, so we need to use that as much as we can.”

Jenkins’ position has long been one of the most fiercely-contested in Welsh rugby, with Iestyn Thomas and John Yapp joining Duncan Jones in vying for selection on the loosehead.

But now that hard-fought battle is being replicated in more and more areas of the team.

“This is definitely the most competitive Welsh squad I’ve been involved in,” said Jenkins.

“You can see in training, there is an edge. Everyone wants to be in the team and everyone is pushing each other.

“Most positions now there’s two players fighting for the spot. It’s always good when that’s the case.

“We are a strong 22 as well as a good 15 at the moment. That’s good for the squad as a whole. Nobody is secure of their place.”