'This is the one we want' - Scotland hero targets Six Nations nemesis after ending own 10-year wait

Jones ran in a hat-trick as Gregor Townsend’s side opened their Guinness Six Nations campaign with a hard-fought 31-19 win over Italy at Murrayfield.

Scotland started and finished the match strongly but lost their way at the beginning of the second half when Nacho Brex ran in an intercept try to draw the teams level at 19-19.

Next up next Sunday is the small matter of defending champions Ireland who have won the last 10 meetings between the sides.

And Jones conceded that Scotland’s temperament and application would need to be on point if they are to defeat their nemesis for the first time since 2017.

The centre said: “We've wanted this one [a win over Ireland] for a long time and never quite got it. So, it's a huge challenge for us. They're obviously a very, very good side. And they've shown that with all the results in the past – not just against us, but against a lot of other teams. So, we know that it's going to be a massive challenge.

“It's a real cliché but it's the big-match temperament, isn't it? That's what we need to find within this squad. We've had it in games in the past but never stayed together. I feel like I say the same thing every year.

“Next week is a huge challenge, so I guess it's a chance for us to show how much growth we've made. I think last year one of our best performances was away at Ireland. I think it was a close game. But again, one of those we didn't quite take our chances.

“This is the one we want. I mean, they've had our number for years now so it’s time to front up and have a really special performance.”

Jones believes Scotland at least go into that meeting with plenty to be positive about, especially the manner in which they started and finished against Italy.

He added: “I think this has been a good start. The fact that the game wasn't perfect and there were swings of momentum is probably quite good preparation for us. The way we wrestled back control, didn't panic when things went wrong – there’ll definitely be work-ons, so we'll look at that in the next couple of days.

“That was a big focus for us, coming into the Six Nations. No game's ever going to be perfect. And not letting the game get away from us. But it's staying in the fight and being there right at the end.”

Jones savoured what he believed to be his first hat-trick for a decade. Asked when the last one was, the Glasgow centre replied: “That’s a good question. A long time ago. I’ve not scored one for Scotland before. I don't think it was at Glasgow. Maybe at Stormers. I scored four in one game at Stormers.

“The tries were all different. I was pretty happy to follow Darcy [Graham] and Duhan [van der Merwe] around the field and get passes off them. And then the other one I had to do a little bit more work for it. But I'm really happy to get three tries. It's always special.”