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Jones tells Wales to get on with the job

Edinburgh - Wales captain Alun Wyn Jones has urged his side to concentrate on the task in hand when they continue their Grand Slam bid against Scotland following a week of turmoil in their domestic game.

Victory at Murrayfield on Saturday would leave Wales just one win away from completing a Six Nations clean sweep.

But the build-up to this weekend's match in Edinburgh hs been overshadowed by the collapse of a plan to merge the Scarlets and the Ospreys, two of Wales' four professional regional teams, as part of the controversial 'Project Reset' restructuring programme.

The future livelihoods of several Wales squad members were at stake and national coach Warren Gatland admitted the furore had been a distraction for the side.

"For us, it's not a case of carry on regardless, it's a case of being sympathetic to the situation," Jones told reporters at Murrayfield on Friday.

"Obviously, we want a few more answers after the Six Nations, but we've got a job to get on with," the Ospreys lock added.

While the merger appears to be off the table for the time being, talks at Wales' Professional Rugby Board appear deadlocked amid ongoing uncertainty over the eventual shape of the domestic game.

"Whatever career you are in, you always have other distractions," said Jones.

"Ultimately, we are professional rugby people and we focus on the rugby. That's the easy bit. We are not politicians, so we don't have to delve too much into that."

Wales will be trying to extend their national record winning streak to 13 successive victories on Saturday, having won 12 of their 13 previous Tests against Scotland.

Teams:

Scotland 

15 Blair Kinghorn; 14 Tommy Seymour, 13 Nick Grigg, 12 Pete Horne, 11 Darcy Graham; 10 Finn Russell, 9 Ali Price; 8 Josh Strauss, 7 Jamie Ritchie, 6 Magnus Bradbury; 5 Jonny Gray, 4 Grant Gilchrist; 3 Willem Nel, 2 Stuart McInally (captain), 1 Allan Dell 

Substitutes: 16 Fraser Brown, 17 Gordon Reid, 18 Simon Berghan, 19 Ben Toolis, 20 Hamish Watson, 21 Greig Laidlaw, 22 Adam Hastings, 23 Byron McGuigan

Wales  

15 Liam Williams; 14 George North, 13 Jonathan Davies, 12 Hadleigh Parkes, 11 Josh Adams; 10 Gareth Anscombe, 9 Gareth Davies; 8 Ross Moriarty, 7 Justin Tipuric, 6 Josh Navidi; 5 Alun Wyn Jones (captain), 4 Adam Beard; 3 Tomas Francis, 2 Ken Owens, 1 Rob Evans

Substitutes: 16 Elliot Dee, 17 Nicky Smith, 18 Dillon Lewis, 19 Jake Ball, 20 Aaron Wainwright, 21 Aled Davies, 22 Dan Biggar, 23 Owen Watkin

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