As I glance across a bustling room at Edinburgh’s Johnnie Walker Experience, my gaze meets that of Alun Wyn Jones.

Approaching with a knowing grin, the former captain of Wales inquires, “Much happening?” His expression already conveys the answer. In the unpredictable realm of Welsh rugby, where political drama and internal strife frequently overshadow the sport itself, there is no shortage of activity these days.

Jones is no stranger to this chaos. As the most capped player in international rugby history, he amassed 170 Test appearances for Wales and the British and Irish Lions over his illustrious career.

During his tenure, he faced numerous political challenges. Although retired for over two years, the latest turmoil engulfing Welsh rugby—ignited as he stepped away—continues unabated.

In fact, the situation seems to deteriorate with each passing day.

As international rugby’s most capped player, Alun Wyn Jones made a total of 170 Test appearances for Wales and the Lions

In a trophy-laden, 17-year career at the highest level, he also had to deal with his fair share of political wrangling

Jones is fighting the Welsh Rugby Union’s controversial plan to cut the number of Wales’ men’s clubs from four to three

The Welsh Rugby Union’s controversial plan to cut the number of Wales’ men’s clubs from four to three has left the Ospreys at risk of falling out of existence.

Aside from five appearances for French side Toulon, Jones played his entire professional domestic career with the Swansea-based outfit. He started at Swansea’s club side too – the team his father and grandfather both also represented.

So, the latest events are particularly close to home for a man widely seen as the only one who can rival Sir Gareth Edwards for the title of the greatest Wales player of all. What does Jones make of it all?

‘It’s clear there’s a big divide between most supporters and the WRU,’ he tells Daily Mail Sport. ‘Even looking at the WRU from the outside, I don’t think it seems to be aligned internally. 

‘As a former player, I’m very, very aware the business side of the game needs to be there to run it.

‘But at what cost? The provenance of our great game is its tradition. Rugby’s essence is its teams, its people. If you lose them, what do you have?

‘People will assume I’m speaking from a purely personal point of view because I played for the Ospreys, but going to three regions is just the start. It was publicly stated at first by the WRU that the preferred option was two. No region is safe.’

On the eve of the 2026 Six Nations, Wales’ preparations for their opening game with England should be the sole focus. But once again, it is Welsh rugby politics that is the talking point.

‘It’s clear there’s a big divide between most supporters and the WRU,’ Jones tells Daily Mail Sport. ‘Looking at the WRU from the outside, I don’t think it seems to be aligned internally’

Jones retired from playing in 2023 but his passion for Welsh rugby is still clear to see

The WRU have given permission for Ospreys owners Y11 Sport & Media to take control of capital side Cardiff, who were under governing body control after their descent into administration.

The Ospreys have been told they will continue to exist for the rest of this season and next.

But beyond that, uncertainty reigns. When Y11’s Cardiff takeover bid was leaked without Ospreys players and staff being told, there was uproar. Politicians, council leaders and even Hollywood actor Michael Sheen – who grew up in Port Talbot – have had their say on the mess. Jones has been one of several former Ospreys and Wales stars to put their name to a statement this week calling for a WRU rethink on the proposal currently on the table.

‘Cutting a team comes with no guarantee of future success,’ the statement read. ‘We believe it more likely to lead to the opposite scenario, with Welsh rugby caught in a downward spiral.’

Jones adds: ‘The news of the Y11 and Cardiff situation means the preservation of a club’s history could be at the expense of not just one other, but also four more. It’s not just the Ospreys at risk. It’s also Neath, Swansea, Bridgend and Aberavon – the clubs that feed the region. My big criticism is the fact the Ospreys players and staff weren’t informed properly.

‘In any other industry, there would be a lot more drastic action happening sooner. This is the way things have been run. 

‘We’ve seen infighting between the WRU and the regions in the past. I think they’re as bad as each other at the minute.

‘My biggest fear is that if the Ospreys go, we’ll have a black hole from the Loughor Bridge all the way up to Bridgend where there won’t be a professional rugby team. Rugby could potentially diminish there.

On the eve of the 2026 Six Nations, Wales’ preparations for their opening game with England should be the sole focus. But instead it is Welsh rugby politics that is the talking point

Aside from five appearances for French side Toulon, Jones played his entire professional domestic career with the Ospreys 

‘On the one hand, we’re talking about improving the player pathways and participation. As has already been said by many, the schools and colleges in those areas will need to be kept engaged to feed the pathway. We know we need more players, so to take away rugby from such a large area doesn’t add up with the few pieces of overall plan we have heard.

‘It (going to three teams) feels like a very short-term fix from a business point of view, rather than being about the essence of sport. I’m a big advocate for Welsh rugby and I think we’ll get back to where we expect to be. But it’s going to take longer than the powers that be think.’

Jones was Wales captain when midway through the 2019 Six Nations – a Championship Wales won with a Grand Slam – the WRU confirmed and then aborted plans to merge the Ospreys and Scarlets.

‘There were quite a few of us players throughout my career who said certain things were going to happen on the horizon,’ Jones said. ‘Even going back to the Covid period, we tried to make the WRU aware. It was just a matter of time before it was going to get worse. 

‘I’m comfortable saying I’ve given my feedback then and now. We’ve had very, very similar scenarios in the past. I don’t think people realise how close previously we’ve come to us being in the sort of trouble we’re in now.

‘But because we were relatively successful as a national team, it papered over the cracks. This has never been too far away. 

‘Welsh rugby needs a systemic plan that includes everyone. The problem is now I can’t pick one focal point to start from because it’s gone so far. I don’t think change will happen quickly.’

The WRU’s three-team plan has been in response to Wales’ senior side struggling badly on the field and financial trouble off it. The governing body insists radical change is needed.

A born leader who also captained the Lions, Jones is one of several ex-Wales players who could help the national game

‘Because we were relatively successful as a national team, it papered over the cracks,’ says Jones. ‘This crisis has never been too far away’

Wales’ men’s side hasn’t won a game in the past two Six Nations, quite the contrast to the golden period between 2008 and 2021 where Jones was a leading light. It seems clear there is currently little faith among the country’s rugby public in the governing body’s ability to improve things. Jones hasn’t ruled out a return to rugby either in a coaching or administrative role but has made the most of spending time away from the game he enjoyed for so long.

He has now recovered after being diagnosed with atrial fibrillation – an irregular heart rhythm which was only picked up by medics once he arrived at Toulon. Retirement has allowed Jones to spend longer periods with his three young daughters and pursue other interests, both business and personal.

Chief among them was an impressive run to the final of last year’s Celebrity MasterChef.

After nearly two decades of having to show brute force in the pack, Jones displayed notable sleight of hand in the kitchen, with his spiced salmon and noodles and a Cornish coronation chicken-stuffed semolina sphere dish standing out.

It was perhaps unsurprising that having grown up in Mumbles on the Swansea coastline, his fish choices impressed.

‘I was always going to need a bit of breathing space after rugby,’ Jones says. ‘Whatever you do, if you do it for long enough, you probably need to release the pressure valve on it. I’ve had a great couple of years. I’ve dipped my toe in a number of different things. I’ve done a couple of TV programmes – one in the Welsh language, MasterChef.

‘I thought to myself, “I enjoy cooking. Let’s see what I can do”. I didn’t expect to go as far as I did. I never thought cooking would be as stressful as it was. It was something very different and the pressure was up there with Test rugby.

‘The further you went, the less time you had to practise and there were more ingredients, different techniques and more things you could learn. The show was filmed through last year’s Six Nations. I enjoyed it.

After nearly two decades of having to show brute force in the pack, Jones recently displayed notable sleight of hand in the MasterChef kitchen

‘It was good to stretch myself in something competitive, but really far removed from sport. MasterChef was probably something people didn’t expect me to be on, but I didn’t do it for shock value.

‘It was all about the experience. And trying to win!

‘I had a lot of opportunities to do things like that when I was still playing, but I didn’t take them up because rugby was the full focus. I’ve tried to spread my wings a little bit and see the world.

‘I’m working with Swansea University as a strategic adviser. Mimosa, my rum business, is going well. We’re in Tesco and Morrisons and are soon to go into Asda in Wales.

‘The wider world has been a bit of a steep learning curve, but like I did when I played, I’ve made sure to learn and try and enjoy the time I spend with people.’

Jones might have stepped away from Welsh rugby for now, but it’s clear his passion for it still burns bright.

Equally, it is also impossible to escape the fact that more sporting expertise – which the likes of Jones can provide – is badly needed at the heart of Wales’ struggling national game right now.