Kingsley Jones Coach of the Russian National Team Date of Birth: 19.07.1969 Country: Russia

1. Kingsley Jones: A Renowned Welsh Rugby Figure
2. Early Career and Playing Days
3. Coaching Journey
4. Sale Sharks and England (2005-2011)
5. Russian National Team (2011-2014)
6. Newport Gwent Dragons (2013-2017)
7. Canadian National Team (2017-Present)
8. Personal Life

Kingsley Jones: A Renowned Welsh Rugby Figure

Kingsley Jones, a Welsh rugby player and coach, has enjoyed a distinguished career marked by notable achievements.

Early Career and Playing Days

Hailing from a rugby-playing family, Jones' father played professionally. He began his playing career at Abertillery and later joined Cross Keys in 1993, captaining the side. Moving to Pontypridd in the Welsh Premier Division, he excelled as a flanker or number eight under Dennis John.

Jones earned his international debut for Wales against the Barbarians in 1996, followed by his test debut against France in Cardiff. In 1998, he led Ebbw Vale to their first Welsh Rugby Union Challenge Cup final, ultimately losing to Llanelli. He captained Wales against South Africa in his tenth and final test appearance, hindered by an Achilles injury.

Coaching Journey

After retiring as a player, Jones transitioned into coaching at Doncaster Knights. In 2004, he joined Sale Sharks as their forwards coach under Philippe Saint-André for the 2004/05 season. The team reached the English Premiership semi-finals and won the European Challenge Cup.

When Saint-André became Director of Rugby in 2005, Jones took over as head coach, guiding Sale to their first Premiership title with a victory over Leicester Tigers. However, the team's European Challenge Cup campaign ended in a quarter-final defeat to Biarritz Olympique.

Sale Sharks and England (2005-2011)

In the subsequent seasons, Sale struggled in the league and faced relegation concerns. In 2008/09, Jones was appointed Director of Rugby, with Jason Robinson becoming head coach. Under their leadership, the team finished 11th in the Premiership and had limited success in Europe.

Russian National Team (2011-2014)

In 2011, Jones joined the Russian national team as a consultant and forwards coach. Named as the successor to head coach Nikolay Nerush, he officially took over in November 2011.

Russia under Jones faced challenges in European competitions, but secured a playoff spot for the World Cup repechage. However, Jones resigned due to family reasons, though Russia ultimately qualified for the repechage but lost to Uruguay.

Newport Gwent Dragons (2013-2017)

After a brief stint as a consultant for Newport Gwent Dragons, Jones became Director of Rugby and head coach in 2014. Under his guidance, the Dragons secured a playoff berth for the first time, defeating top-seeded Leinster. They also reached the European Challenge Cup semi-finals.

However, the Dragons struggled in subsequent seasons, finishing 11th in the Pro12 in 2016/17. Jones left the club in June 2017, with Bernard Jackman taking over as coach.

Canadian National Team (2017-Present)

Jones joined the Canadian national team as head coach in September 2017. After initial setbacks, he led Canada to victory at the 2018 Americas Rugby Championship and secured their place at the 2019 Rugby World Cup.

Despite a fifth-place finish in the 2019 Americas Championship, Jones continues to guide Canada in international competitions, striving for further success.

Personal Life

Kingsley Jones is married and has two sons, Dorian and Rhys, who are also rugby players.