Adam Jones says Wales are turning a deaf ear to the hype that is accompanying their bid for Triple Crown glory at Twickenham on Saturday.

Jones: Playing down clash

Former Wales fly-half Jonathan Davies, now a television pundit, set the ball rolling by claiming Wales could "smash'' England physically.

Bookmakers' odds also strongly reflect perceived Welsh dominance, even though their record shows just one win in the last 24 years at English rugby headquarters.

Wales prop Jones, though, has been around long enough to know what is coming at this weekend - and he is not expecting a quiet stroll in the park.

"With all due respect to Jiffy (Davies), I think he is getting a bit carried away," said Jones, who will win his 78th cap in the Wales front row.

"We are not listening to that.

"You watch the Premiership, and there are no small packs. England have players from Leicester and Saracens, clubs with good packs, and we have our hands full.

"They will definitely come at us, and, like any English team, they will have a good scrum and driving lineout.

"If you play in the Premiership and you are a weak scrummage, you are going to be found out.

"(Alex) Corbisiero does a fantastic job for London Irish, and Dan Cole is the only tighthead prop who has been that dominant in international rugby at such a young age. He's one hell of a player.

"But we are going to go there and try to dominate, and we're confident we can. It's going to be a battle.''

Jones has tasted both victory and defeat in his previous Twickenham visits with Wales.

But he is among only three starting XV survivors from four years ago - scrum-half Mike Phillips and lock Alun-Wyn Jones are the others - when Wales' 26-19 win sent them on their way to a Six Nations title and Grand Slam.

"As much as we are trying to calm ourselves down and keep a lid on it emotionally, this is a massive game and I'm sure the country is going to go a little bit mental,'' Jones added.

"When we won in 1999 at Wembley, it didn't matter that we had come fourth in the championship because we had beaten England, but I don't think we look at it that way any more.

"It's a big tournament, and England is the next step. England will be the be-all and end-all on Saturday, but I am not sure it's the same as it used to be.''

Wales amassed 50 points and scored six tries - all by their much-vaunted back division - in defeating opening Six Nations opponents Ireland and Scotland.

But Jones feels both games saw Wales only play in patches, even though they are now in pole position for the title race, with home games against Italy and France to come after Twickenham.

"The first 30 minutes against Ireland were good, and the third quarter against Scotland, but we haven't played for a full 80 minutes yet,'' he said.

"Hopefully, we will do that at Twickenham, but they will make it as hostile a ground as possible. It's a tough place to go, and I think only New Zealand ever go there as favourites.''

Jones and his fellow prop Gethin Jenkins will pack down alongside hooker Ken Owens, who makes his first Wales start after injuries sidelined Huw Bennett, Matthew Rees and Lloyd Burns.

"Gethin and I have played a lot of times together, and we will be looking out for Ken,'' Jones added.

"Ken is a very passionate Welshman. He wears his heart on his sleeve, and he will be right up for it. It will be a case of maybe cooling him down a bit.

"We try to play with quick ball, and they will try to stop it. We don't want to get drawn into a dogfight, but I fancy England will want to play a bit at the weekend.''

Wales assistant coach Rob Howley, meanwhile, has underlined the degree of difficulty facing the World Cup semi-finalists.

"England are ranked higher than us by the International Rugby Board, and at home they should be favourites,'' Howley said.

"We are under no illusions. A lot has been said about favourites and history, but you are only as good as your next game.

"Away days in the Six Nations are hard. England have played two and won two, playing very difficult sides (Scotland and Italy) in difficult conditions.

"We understand how they want to play against us, and it's about negating their strengths. They will be targeting us at Twickenham, but the challenge for us is to live up to the expectations.''