Newport Gwent Dragons director of rugby, Lyn Jones has been with the men of Gwent for just over one season. Talking about the 2014/15 season and the changes he has made Lyn said, “There is a lot of work ahead of us over the coming season, but we feel that we have planted the ‘seeds’ early enough to see the shoots coming through early next season.
“We are very excited about the prospect of making Newport Gwent Dragons the best Welsh Region. I do not say this lightly as this will not be an easy task, it may take three years from now but we will get there. Onlookers will have reviewed some areas of our performance and scrum techniques this year and commented on how disappointed they are, and they are right to do so as it has been a difficult year for us. As coaches we have taken on other people’s squad, which is very tough for all, but this year has given us a time to redesign the future for Gwent rugby.
“It’s important that we all at the club align ourselves to one vision, understand where we are going, how we intend to get there and enjoy the journey.”
Lyn Jones, who had a brief stint at Rodney Parade in 2008 as an interim coach went on to explain, “New and old experienced players joining from outside the club, will bring ‘a wind of change’ through the training and playing environment, acting as catalysts in the growth of our Academy and u20s stars.
“We are bringing eleven Gwent born academy players through to our squad next year, which is a huge figure and demonstrates our intent to join the other Welsh Regions in supplying players to play for Wales. These players are the future of rugby in Gwent and in Wales.”
Amongst the changes that have happened on the field, Lyn has also made changes to the back room staff. This includes the appointment of Huw Bevan as elite performance manager and working alongside him is Ryan Harris and Simon Church.
Lyn Jones has also appointed Kingsley Jones, as head coach for the Welsh region. The former Wales captain added, "I am pleased to be part of the team here at the Dragons. I want to help to develop the youngsters in the team and help push the Dragons up the league tables.
"I have an excellent working relationship with Lyn and together we are driven to help bring success to the region. It will be a hard process but the future is a positive one."
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