Despite that incident Gatland kept faith in the second-row for the victory over Scotland but now the 24-year-old has been told he will play no further part in the Championship.

Jones damaged ligaments tackling Sean Lamont in Wales’ last-gasp 31-24 win over Scotland in Cardiff.

The British and Irish Lions star injured his elbow in the 35th minute but continued to play through the pain for the remainder of the game – Jones will now undergo an operation but physio Mark Davies believes he will return for club side Ospreys before the end of the season.

He said: “Alun experienced some swelling to the joint the day after the game and was sent for a scan

"After receiving those results and after further consultation with surgeons, it has been concluded that the chipped bone needs to be removed and the ligament to be repaired in order to ensure a stable joint.

"The necessary period of recovery will be six to 12 weeks ruling him out of the rest of the six nations and allowing him to target an end of season return for the Ospreys."