Jones finished the Twickenham defeat with a bloody gash to the bridge of his nose - but that was nothing compared to the two years of injury hell he suffered after last appearing for Wales in the 2003 World Cup quarter-final.

Jones battled back from two career-threatening knee injuries to play at Twickenham and, despite Wales' 47-13 defeat, he is looking forward to pitting his wits against Scottish try-hero Sean Lamont.

''It was not what the team wanted last week, but personally it was great to be back on that stage,'' said Jones.

''It was everything I remembered - very fast and physical, with any mistake harshly punished.

''Lamont is a big guy with lots of pace who knows where the try line is. That adds up to not a bad player and we know he will be a handful for us to contain.

''I felt he was very unlucky not to go on the Lions tour last year. He has taken it on another level since his move to the Guinness Premiership, and now he has stepped up and is doing it on the international stage.''

Jones was not altogether surprised by Scotland's dramatic RBS 6 Nations victory over France last Sunday and is prepared for a tough challenge at the Millennium Stadium.

But with both sides committed to an open, high-tempo style of rugby, Jones believes Wales will have the opportunity to post an immediate response to last week's disappointment.

''Scotland seem to be able to play it any way at the moment, with width or up front, they have a good balance,'' he said.

''That does not surprise me - I watched them in the autumn internationals and could see the big performances were in them, against France they proved it.''