Henson has shone in the No.10 shirt for London Welsh during the Aviva Premiership under the stewardship of Jones who mentored the 30-year-old in his younger days at Ospreys.

A space has opened up in the Wales team after an Achilles injury to Rhys Priestland ruled him out of the competition – James Hook and Dan Biggar also vying for the shirt.

But Jones threw his weight behind Henson, who was part of Wales’ Grand Slam winning squads in 2005 and 2008, for a starting berth in Warren Gatland’s side.

“Things were on course for Gavin as regards catching the eyes of Warren Gatland and Six Nations selection, but his lack of game-time over the past few weeks could count against him,” Jones told Wales Online.

“Can he come back and challenge James and Dan for the Wales No. 10 jersey against Ireland? I would say yes, he can.

“Gavin is these days a more confident individual than I have seen from him before and I’m sure things will continue to go well for him on the rugby field.

“He’s been excellent for us, a class act. What he has done is embrace his best position, which is No. 10.

“Everybody knows how much talent Gavin possesses. He’s certainly worth a look at by the Welsh selectors.

“It’s up to them to determine whether his form is good enough for the Six Nations, but he knows how to control a game, has vision, skill and a prodigious boot.”