Jones made his international debut as a replacement in the record 96-13 defeat against South Africa in 1998 but has since gone on to carve a reputation as one of the leading play-makers of his generation.

Jones made his Rugby World Cup bow with an appearance as a replacement against Japan during the 1999 tournament and further international honours followed at fullback and centre before he nailed down the fly-half berth in 2002.

He was later a key figure Wales' Six Nations Grand Slam in 2005 when he produced arguably the best form of his career. His performance against France, as Wales rallied back from a first half hammering, was exceptional. Jones contributed three penalties, a conversion and a drop goal to add to his scything 60 metre break that set up Martyn Williams' first score. After being heralded as the best fly-half in the Championship his form was rewarded with a place on the British & Irish Lions' tour to New Zealand where he featured in all three Tests.

In November 2006, following a disappointing Six Nations, Jones was named as Wales captain and he led his country for the first time against Australia. It was not a perfect start to his reign as he was forced off early with a knee injury, setting the stage for James Hook to claim a man of the match award in a 29-29 draw.

Heading into the 2007 Rugby World Cup Jones was under heavy pressure from the Welsh press regarding his place in the Test side and his ability to captain, fears compounded by his missing out on a starting slot for the opener against Canada. Following Wales' ignominious exit at the hands of Fiji, new Wales coach Warren Gatland relieved Jones of the captaincy.

During Wales' march to the 2008 Six Nations Grand Slam, Jones was engaged in a healthy rivalry with Hook for the No.10 shirt. Jones started the games against Ireland and Italy and was used as a "closer" in the clashes with France and Scotland. Jones' experience and new found toughness made him an invaluable part of the Welsh set-up.

Selection for his second Lions tour followed in 2009 where he laid claim to the starting No.10 jersey. Jones struggled in the first Test, missing two early kicks in a defeat in Durban but held his own in the second Test in Pretoria playing a key part in Rob Kearney's try and scoring a dramatic late penalty to level the scores at 25-25. Jones' heroics were upstaged however, when Springboks' replacement Morne Steyn kicked the series-winning penalty in injury time for South Africa. Jones kicked 13 points in the final Test to give the Lions a consolation victory in Johannesburg.

Jones returned to the Wales No.10 jersey in November, marshalling a mixed campaign with wins over Argentina and Samoa overshadowed by defeats to New Zealand and Australia and again spearheaded the side's Six Nations campaign in 2010 where he finished as the top points scorer.

He is second to only Neil Jenkins in Wales' all-time points scoring charts and became only the second player, after Gareth Thomas, to play 100 Tests for Wales in their controversial cap meeting with the Barbarians in 2011. He was set to make Wales' Test cap record his own later that year but was forced out of the World Cup warm-up clash with England after picking up an injury in the warm-up. Rhys Priestland made the most of the opportunity by laying claim to the No.10 jersey for the World Cup with Jones reduced to a bit-part role.

He eventually claimed the record with a tournament appearance against Namibia and saw further action as a replacement against Fiji, France and Australia although he was already the most capped Welshman with his six Tests for the Lions allowing him to claim that honour against Italy earlier in the year. However, he was left out of the Wales squad to tackle Australia at the end of that year in a move that appeared to end his international career.

And when Jones was omitted from the Wales squad for the 2012 Six Nations, he sustained a further blow to his international prospects. But with Rhys Priestland struggling for fitness ahead of the tournament, Jones has earned a recall to the Wales squad.

He kicked off his domestic career with Llanelli in 1996 and stayed with the club through the first season of regional rugby, starring for the Scarlets, before opting for a switch to French club Clermont Auvergne. He graced France's top flight for just two seasons before returning to the Scarlets in 2006.

He was part of the Scarlets team that powered to the Heineken Cup semi-finals in 2007 on the back of home and away wins against Ulster and Toulouse and a headline-grabbing victory over defending champions Munster in the quarter-finals. The team's run ended at the hands of Leicester in the final four. In 2010, Jones signed a contract extension with the region that will keep him with the side until the end of the 2011-12 season.