WALES coach Steve Hansen is set to give Gethin Jenkins a start in the troublesome tight head prop position against France at the Millennium Stadium on Sunday.
Adam Jones, his '30-minute prop' was ruled out yesterday after damaging ankle ligaments playing for Neath-Swansea Ospreys against Munster on Friday, an injury that will keep him out of the rest of the Six Nations Championship.
Hansen called Ben Evans back into the squad yesterday, but is set to start with Jenkins against the French.
Jenkins wants to prove a point after being almost a fixture on the bench.
"I was disappointed not to be selected in the World Cup and I want to be there from the start this time," said the converted loose head prop at the team's Vale of Glamorgan headquarters this morning.
"I'm comfortable at tight head now, that's where I'm in the squad and I've just got to get on with it. That's where I've got to play, I'm not considered as a loose head.
"It'll be a daunting prospect because the French are very tough and they have won their last two games whereas we struggled in our last game.
"We've got to concentrate on doing things properly up front to counter the French."
Jenkins' last experience against a French team was not a particularly happy one when he got knocked out twice playing for Celtic Warriors against Perpignan in the Heineken Cup.
"They were very strong in the scrum, they're like that, they thrive on getting on top of teams," he said.
"I was knocked out twice which I didn't enjoy that much. You could feel the difference in the scrum between playing against Wasps and Perpignan, the French were really good."
Jenkins believes Wales can do the same as Ireland managed against them by hitting back after a defeat.
"When we went to Ireland we'd had a win and thought we could do it again, but to lose a try to a forward orientated team early on meant we couldn't get it back," he said.
"They shut the door on us and we struggled for quite a bit of the game." Hansen is set to make changes but they won't be major.
"There won't be sweeping changes, there will be one or two," he said, the obvious ones being at tight head prop and outside centre with Adam Jones and Sonny Parker both ruled out by injury.
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