Captain Jones set to be rested for Wales' summer tour

Wales coach Warren Gatland says captain Alun Wyn Jones is set to miss their summer tour Tests against South Africa and Argentina.

Gatland wants to ensure the 32-year-old is at his peak for the 2019 World Cup in Japan.

They face the Springboks on Saturday, 2 June in Washington DC before games against the Pumas in Argentina on 9 and 16 June.

"I don't think he will go on tour in the summer," Gatland said.

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Jones was man of the match in Wales' 14-13 win over France, which secured second place in the Six Nations.

The 32-year-old has signed a new national dual contract to keep him at Ospreys in the build-up to the 2019 tournament.

It means the Welsh Rugby Union paying 60% of Jones' wages with the region funding the rest, while Wales and Ospreys will negotiate Jones' playing and training schedule.

"It is about us managing him over the next 18 months," said Gatland.

"We have got a plan in place for him over the next year or so in terms of the amount of games he plays for the Ospreys and for us.

"He is very important for us and we need to keep him fresh."

Jones has made 116 Wales appearances and nine more on three successive British and Irish Lions tours.

Who will join Jones in resting?

He could be joined in resting over the summer by other senior players and colleagues from the Lions' drawn tour to New Zealand last summer under Gatland.

"We will look at those players who went on the Lions tour last year and whether we take them," said Gatland.

"Also we will look at some of the older players who potentially have not had much of an off-season and give them a rest.

"We will start thinking about it in the next six weeks about which players we expect to take."