Wales interim boss Rob Howley has welcomed the move to add Mark Jones to his staff for the RBS Six Nations as he stands in for Lions boss Warren Gatland.
Former Wales winger Jones will join Howley, Robin McBryde, Shaun Edwards and Neil Jenkins in plotting Wales’ Six Nations title defence, which begins against Ireland at the Millennium Stadium on February 2.
Jones, the current Scarlets attack coach, will have specific responsibility for the Wales backs throughout the Six Nations campaign as the team make do with Gatland as he prepares for this summer’s British and Irish Lions tour to Australia.
“Mark is an important addition to the coaching team,” said Howley. “He has played the game at the highest level and developed his coaching skills during his time with the Scarlets.
“He is a ‘hands-on coach’ and understands how our environment works, which is important leading into the tournament. I would like to thank Simon Easterby (Scarlets head coach) for allowing Mark to join us and to start work immediately.
“We have always been an integrated coaching team, and Mark will be a great addition alongside Robin, Shaun and Neil.”
Jones, 33, had already been confirmed as part of the Wales coaching team for a two-Test tour to Japan in June, but he is now on board for the Six Nations as well.
“I am looking forward to this exciting opportunity for me to develop further as a coach,” Jones said. “It will help me to explore new ideas and gain wider experience that I hope will, in turn, benefit my full-time role with the Scarlets region.”
Scarlets chief executive Mark Davies described the Wales opportunity as
an “exciting” one for Builth Wells-born Jones, whose playing career was ended by injury in August 2010.
“As a region, our belief is to develop and support the talent we have invested in at the Scarlets, and to see people reach their full potential,” Davies said.
“That philosophy applies as much to our coaching set-up as it does to our players. This will be an important landmark and a valuable experience for Mark as he progresses as a top-class coach.”
**** hell, Mark Jones as backs coach, when he was playing he could hardly **** catch and when he did he fell over, McBryde the forwards coach presided over the worlds worst lineout, at least Jenkins could kick but him and Howlers have no previous success as coaches, only Edwards has… Only in Wales would elite world class players be coaches by these clowns. They even admit to using it for the coaches to gain experience… they should be doing that in lower leagues surely not at international level.
