Richard Hibbard identifies the 'fantastic beast' Wales should be picking now to make him new Adam Jones

Richard Hibbard has called for Wales to spring a selection surprise for the Six Nations opener against Ireland in Dublin on Saturday by starting with Dragons tighthead Leon Brown — a player he dubs a ‘fantastic beast who could develop into a future Adam Jones’.

Tomas Francis and Dillon Lewis are the other players vying for the No. 3 shirt in Wayne Pivac’s squad.

Many would consider Brown to be only an outside bet to make the run-on side in the Irish capital, perhaps seeing him as unproven as a Test-class scrummager.

But at 6ft 3in and 20st 4lb he isn’t short of power and he is also mobile around the field with Hibbard believing the 25-year-old has the potential to become a force.

“I just think Leon is a fantastic beast,” said Hibbard, until recently a team-mate of Brown’s at the Dragons.

“Give him a chance on the international scene now to get some minutes under his belt.

“He could be a future Adam Jones and a talisman of the pack for us.”

Hibbard played alongside Jones for region and country so knows what it took for him to achieve what he did. It didn't happen overnight, but scrummaging was his strong point and at 25 he had already started every game in a Grand Slam season for Wales.

Brown needs to start engaging full throttle, then.

The 60-cap Francis is favourite to start this weekend, with experience likely to be needed at the Aviva Stadium.

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