Six Nations Betting / Ralph Ellis / 26 February 2009 / Leave a comment

The professional era is turning rugby players into athletes and nobody places more emphasis on fitness and mobility than Warren Gatland, says Ralph Ellis as he looks ahead to Friday night's match between France and Wales.

A couple of years ago I got very in to keeping fit and joined the local gym. You know the sort of thing - running on the treadmill, a circuit of the weights machine, a dip in the pool and a session in the sauna. I've always been more Greek Kebab than Greek Adonis, but after a few months it was having a definite effect. And there was a day when I'd finished my best workout yet, and was feeling quite good about myself.

That lasted until I was emerging from the showers. The gym was also used by the local rugby club, and as I was reaching for my towel I was confronted by a man mountain - some 6ft 6ins of prop forward weighing about 17 stone but with not an ounce of fat anywhere and a stomach you could do the ironing on. And everything else in proportion, if you get my drift.

That left my ego shrivelled, but was also a reminder at how the standards of top rugby are changing. The professional era is turning the players into athletes and like any sport they are getting bigger, stronger, fitter and faster.

There's no better example than Welsh prop Adam Jones who has been talking to Neil Squires in the Daily Express this morning. He could be a candidate for slimmer of the year after losing an amazing six stone in weight since giving up chocolates - except that he still tips the scales at a frightening 19 stone! The difference is that, just like my monster from the showers, it's now all muscle.

Jones puts it down to the influence of Warren Gatland, the man who moulded last season's Grand Slam winners and is encouraging them to repeat the achievement. And Gatland purred with praise two weeks ago when Jones hunted down England full back Delon Armitage towards the end of the match at the Millenium Stadium and hit him with a massive tackle.

"I was told I needed to shed a few pounds and if I didn't I would not be playing," admits Jones. "This new regime has been huge for me and I have developed as a player over the past few years."

France will try to match up to the physical attributes of Gatland's forwards in Paris tomorrow night. They have called in Matieu Bastareaud, the 20-year-old cousin of Williams Gallas, for a debut. He's a mere titch compared to Jones at 17st 5lbs - although he does play at centre where that size allied to explosive running could always be a danger.

But the French team has other problems, shuffled with Morgan Parra at scrum-half and Benoit Baby at number ten - leaving them without a goalkicker of genuine quality.

It makes Wales, at [1.77] to maintain their 100 per cent record in this year's RBS Six Nations, look a safe bet - and there's temptation to have a plunge on Wales minus 12.5 points at a tasty [4.7]. Gatland's team are settled and strong while the French side is unsettled with other changes - including the return of the erratic Sebastien Chabal in the second row.

Five things you might not know about Adam Jones

1. Born in Abercrave in the Swansea valley in 1981 he went to Maesydderwen Comprehensive - the name translates as 'Field of Oaks'

2. He made his Wales debut in 2003, but was regularly taken off after 30 minutes of matches because he wasn't fit enough

3. He admits to being a chocaholic but has given up sweets under the guidance of Wales fitness chief Craig White

4. One half of the "Hair Bears" with fellow prop Duncan jones, he insists on keeping his long and curly because his dad is bald. "One day baldness is coming for me too so until then I'll stay hairy", he says

5. He owns - and can frequently be seen riding - a Harley Davidson motorbike