JONES AIMING TO OVERACHIVE AT SALE
Sale Sharks will have a new Director of Rugby in the summer, but in Kingsley Jones, the ex-Wales captain and current Head Coach, they have a man who can provide a strong-willed direction and an excellent contacts book. The 39-year-old, who made his name as a dynamic flank forward, insists that he will stay true to the north-west club’s core beliefs and build on the successful foundations that the departing Philippe Saint-André has laid down.
Last week the Frenchman, who took the Sharks to their second European Challenge Cup in 2005 and their first Guinness Premiership title a year later, announced his decision to return to his homeland at the conclusion of the season after four years in charge at Edgeley Park.
The veteran of 68 Test caps for Les Bleus earmarked Jones for success some time ago, initially making him Gloucester skipper a decade ago before taking him to Stockport to be his number two in 2004. “I’d say Kingsley is a future international coach and I could see him one day coaching Wales,” said Saint- André two years ago.
However, when the 41-year-old explained his decision to the Sale board, Jones had not been yet given the nod from chairman Brian Kennedy, and worried about the impact it would have not only on the team’s season but also his own career.
“When Phillipe announced that he was leaving it meant that I could possibly be out of a job,” exclaims Jones. “My first thought was that I hope we don’t mess up the rest of this year because we are in a great position to achieve. I was disappointed at that point – mostly for the team.”
But Kennedy agreed with Saint- André’s appraisal of the man from Nantyglo, a village near the top of the valley that runs down to Newport in South Wales, and offered Jones the top job until the end of the 2010-11 season.
“I think the club have handled it fantastically – you might think that I am going to say that – but it is the right thing to do, to keep the continuity,” continues Jones, who had a brief stint as player-coach at Doncaster Knights before being snapped up by Sale. “Brian has been aware of my potential ability for a while, he has seen how hard I have worked and he has rewarded me with a fantastic opportunity which I am grateful to have been given.
“I think the time is right for me now and I know it is going to be a lot of hard work. It is like anything you want to achieve: getting there is a battle but making it good while you are there is the biggest battle. My focus is on the next two-and-a-half years and taking the club to the next step and making sure we fulfil our potential.”
After a period in the twilight of his playing career in which he moved house six times in five years Jones is finally settled in the north-west – “I love Manchester, though if I could change anything it would be the traffic” – and believes that his leadership skills coupled with his knowledge of the club will go a long way to ensuring a smooth transition when Saint-André hands him the reins.
“Hopefully I bring strong leadership and have the ability to get the best out of people around me – my staff and the players,” he continues. “During my career I was captain wherever I played, all apart from for the Barbarians. And I certainly know the game very well – it is my passion.
“I have clear vision of what I would like to do over the next two or three years. We are aiming to overachieve, and if we do that, with the quality that we have at Sale, we will certainly win things. The Academy is a big part of that. Some clubs block the pathway to youngsters and I want to provide our lads with the avenues to succeed.”
In addition to nurturing young talent, Jones – who names rugby luminaries such as Scott Johnson, Dick Muir, Murray Mexted, Phil Keith-Roach and Ieuan Evans among his good friends – will utilise his contacts to add established world-class quality, if required.
“I constantly speak to people in New Zealand, Australia, South Africa,” says the man behind the club’s capture of All Black Luke McAllister, the centre viewed by many as the most exciting player ever to turn out for Sale.
“But we still have guys like Andrew Sheridan, Charlie Hodgson, Mark Cueto, Chris Jones, Sean Cox, Mathew Tait, Richard Wigglesworth, Lee Thomas, Dwayne Peel, Dean Schofield and Luke Abrahams under contract until at least 2010. These guys are all top drawer players.
“The spine of the team is there and is very, very strong. We need to bring a few through the Academy but we are not in the position where we have to totally rebuild. It’s an exciting opportunity and one that I am going to give my all to.”
Sale Sharks will have a new Director of Rugby in the summer, but in Kingsley Jones, the ex-Wales captain and current Head Coach, they have a man who can provide a strong-willed direction and an excellent contacts book. The 39-year-old, who made his name as a dynamic flank forward, insists that he will stay true to the north-west club’s core beliefs and build on the successful foundations that the departing Philippe Saint-André has laid down.
Last week the Frenchman, who took the Sharks to their second European Challenge Cup in 2005 and their first Guinness Premiership title a year later, announced his decision to return to his homeland at the conclusion of the season after four years in charge at Edgeley Park.
The veteran of 68 Test caps for Les Bleus earmarked Jones for success some time ago, initially making him Gloucester skipper a decade ago before taking him to Stockport to be his number two in 2004. “I’d say Kingsley is a future international coach and I could see him one day coaching Wales,” said Saint- André two years ago.
However, when the 41-year-old explained his decision to the Sale board, Jones had not been yet given the nod from chairman Brian Kennedy, and worried about the impact it would have not only on the team’s season but also his own career.
“When Phillipe announced that he was leaving it meant that I could possibly be out of a job,” exclaims Jones. “My first thought was that I hope we don’t mess up the rest of this year because we are in a great position to achieve. I was disappointed at that point – mostly for the team.”
But Kennedy agreed with Saint- André’s appraisal of the man from Nantyglo, a village near the top of the valley that runs down to Newport in South Wales, and offered Jones the top job until the end of the 2010-11 season.
“I think the club have handled it fantastically – you might think that I am going to say that – but it is the right thing to do, to keep the continuity,” continues Jones, who had a brief stint as player-coach at Doncaster Knights before being snapped up by Sale. “Brian has been aware of my potential ability for a while, he has seen how hard I have worked and he has rewarded me with a fantastic opportunity which I am grateful to have been given.
“I think the time is right for me now and I know it is going to be a lot of hard work. It is like anything you want to achieve: getting there is a battle but making it good while you are there is the biggest battle. My focus is on the next two-and-a-half years and taking the club to the next step and making sure we fulfil our potential.”
After a period in the twilight of his playing career in which he moved house six times in five years Jones is finally settled in the north-west – “I love Manchester, though if I could change anything it would be the traffic” – and believes that his leadership skills coupled with his knowledge of the club will go a long way to ensuring a smooth transition when Saint-André hands him the reins.
“Hopefully I bring strong leadership and have the ability to get the best out of people around me – my staff and the players,” he continues. “During my career I was captain wherever I played, all apart from for the Barbarians. And I certainly know the game very well – it is my passion.
“I have clear vision of what I would like to do over the next two or three years. We are aiming to overachieve, and if we do that, with the quality that we have at Sale, we will certainly win things. The Academy is a big part of that. Some clubs block the pathway to youngsters and I want to provide our lads with the avenues to succeed.”
In addition to nurturing young talent, Jones – who names rugby luminaries such as Scott Johnson, Dick Muir, Murray Mexted, Phil Keith-Roach and Ieuan Evans among his good friends – will utilise his contacts to add established world-class quality, if required.
“I constantly speak to people in New Zealand, Australia, South Africa,” says the man behind the club’s capture of All Black Luke McAllister, the centre viewed by many as the most exciting player ever to turn out for Sale.
“But we still have guys like Andrew Sheridan, Charlie Hodgson, Mark Cueto, Chris Jones, Sean Cox, Mathew Tait, Richard Wigglesworth, Lee Thomas, Dwayne Peel, Dean Schofield and Luke Abrahams under contract until at least 2010. These guys are all top drawer players.
“The spine of the team is there and is very, very strong. We need to bring a few through the Academy but we are not in the position where we have to totally rebuild. It’s an exciting opportunity and one that I am going to give my all to.”
Labels: Edgeley Park, Guinness Premiership, Kingsley Jones, Philippe Saint-André, Sale Sharks
