Huw Jones ‘super proud’ of Scotland milestone as setbacks make him ‘appreciate it a lot more’
Scotland's Huw Jones and Sione Tuipulotu during a Test.
Scotland star Huw Jones is full of pride ahead of making his 50th international appearance against Uruguay on Saturday after a career that has seen “lots of ups and downs”.
The 30-year-old centre, who made his Test debut in 2017 and hit the ground running with dazzling showings, was left out of the squad for the 2019 Rugby World Cup.
Jones was also absent from the international arena for a spell of 23 months between 2021 and 2023 but has since become a regular feature in Scotland‘s side once again.
50 up for Jones
Speaking ahead of his half-century milestone against the South Americans this weekend, the versatile player opened up on the difficult times he has faced in the past.
“I’m really excited to be getting my 50th cap,” Jones said. “It’s been a long journey with lots of ups and downs. It’s obviously a huge honour to play for your country once, any time, so to be able to do it 50 times is a massive privilege.
“I’m super proud with what I’ve achieved in my career and to get to this point. When I first came into the squad, my first few caps came quite quickly and it seemed quite straightforward but then you get a few setbacks, a couple of injuries, a couple of times when you don’t get selected, and it really makes you appreciate it a lot more.
Huw Jones set for milestone game as Scotland announce team for tour finale against Uruguay
“I’ll never take for granted getting picked in a squad or getting picked for a game at the weekend. With all the setbacks I’ve had and with extended periods when I wasn’t even making training squads, and when I’d probably got to the point where I thought I’d maybe played my last game for Scotland, to turn it round and have this run of playing consistently over the last two years has been absolutely amazing.
“To reach 50 caps has been a goal of mine for a while. Obviously a few years ago it didn’t seem realistic, so to get to this point is amazing.”
Jones starts alongside Glasgow team-mate Stafford McDowall on Saturday and the former admits his return to the Warriors from Harlequins helped in his Test revival.
“I came back to Glasgow after a year away and having not really been in the Scotland set-up, but I think the squad and the coaching we have at Glasgow really suits me,” said Jones.
“I feel I’ve become a better player over the last two years and I feel I’ve still got more to give and more to improve on over the next two years of this contract.
“At this point my career is going pretty well so I thought, ‘why change that?’ and that was a big reason I decided to stay.”
