FORMER Welsh rugby star Mark Jones has been named the new interim coach of the Wales Under 20 men’s team.

Jones, an electrifying winger who won 47 caps for his country, takes up the role on a caretaker basis following the resignation of Byron Hayward.

Jones, a product of Builth Wells Rugby Club, has garnered an impressive coaching CV since injuries forced retirement in 2010, including being the backs coach for Wales, Scarlets and New Zealand rugby powerhouses Crusaders over the last decade.

He was most recently a part of the Worcester Warriors defence/kicking coaching team, before the club entered administration in February.

The Llanafan-born flyer’s immediate focus will be on the World Rugby U20 Championship in South Africa, which kicks off on June 24, where Wales face New Zealand, France and Japan.

“From my perspective it is a really good opportunity and I’m excited about getting back to coaching after what happened at Worcester,” Jones, 43, told the WRU website.

“It’s a short-term role taking the boys to a World Cup. I’m excited about making a great environment for the boys and hopefully trying to get them to play with a smile on their face out on the field which is the key.”

Wales failed to win a game in the recently completed U20 Six Nations, but Jones was encouraged by what he saw, despite the lack of positive results.

“The results probably don’t reflect the potential in the group,” he said.

“Clearly, they were beaten five times during the tournament, but there were moments in the games up until 60 minutes where they were very competitive in all games, probably apart from the France game.

“There are building blocks in place and I’m just wanting to try and take them to the next level. I think there is opportunity to try and make the boys better. We haven’t got a lot of time with them but the time we have, we have got to make sure we utilise it really effectively.”

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Jones, who scored 13 tries during an eight-year international carrer, which took him to two World Cups, is hoping to utilise his own experience from playing in those 2003 and 2007 torunaments, when he meets up with a preliminary squad for the first time next Thursday.

“It was black and white TV when I was playing but what I took from the World Cups is that it’s all about your preparation before you get there,” he said.

“When you are in the tournament itself – particularly an U20s tournament – you have short turnarounds, you have very little opportunities to get out and enjoy the country because you are so busy and everything is so intense, so making sure we get our work done before we get off the shores is really important to get ourselves in a great place.

“We need to put in some great performances against some tough opposition so we can then enjoy what limited downtime we will have in South Africa.

“We have got to work hard, and we have got to make it tough for the boys, but they have to enjoy it too and commit to the process.”

The WRU acted swiftly in replacing Hayward with Jones, who has a vast pedigree as a former player with Wales and the Scarlets before beginning his coaching career which has taken in stints at Scarlets, Rotherham Titans, RGC, Namibia, Crusaders and Worcester Warriors.

In 2013 he supported Rob Howley as interim attack coach during the championship-winning Six Nations campaign and also accompanied Robin McBryde on the 2013 tour of Japan.

“We would like to extend a sincere thanks to Bryon for all he has brought to the U20s programme, our players, and the management team during his tenure as head coach, leading the U20s out of the Covid period and to a second-place finish in the 2022 Six Nations summer series, losing the final to a strong South African side,” said WRU head of player development, John Alder.

“While the past two years have been challenging from an U20 results perspective, we have seen the likes of Mason Grady, Daffyd Jenkins and Christ Tshiunza, as recent U20 graduates, cement themselves as genuine Test players on the world stage with Wales.”

 

World Rugby U20 Championship 2023

Pool A matches

Saturday, June 24 – Wales v New Zealand, Paarl, 3pm

Thursday, June 29 – Wales v Japan, Stellenbosch, 1pm

Tuesday, July 4 – France v Wales, Wellington, 3.30pm