Unbeaten Ospreys boss Mark Jones: 'I don't just like it, I love it'

Mark Jones is a man who simply loves coaching and he has more reason than ever to be relishing the job right now.

The former Wales wing is unbeaten at the helm of the Ospreys having taken over from the departing Toby Booth just before Christmas, with his four games in charge having brought three wins and a draw.

His most recent success was a thrilling 31-28 Challenge Cup victory away to Pau which has earned a mouth-watering home last 16 tie against arch rivals the Scarlets in early April.

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Next up, it’s a return to BKT URC action, with in-form Benetton Rugby the visitors to the Swansea.com Stadium on Friday night.

The 47-times capped Jones was originally due to step up from defensive duties at the end of this season, but the move was brought forward following Booth’s early exit.

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United Rugby Championship

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Benetton

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So he has found himself in the head coach’s hot seat sooner than he expected, but it doesn’t appear to have fazed him given his impressive start.

That’s perhaps because of all the groundwork he has put in to get to this point, gaining extensive experience in various different roles since hanging up his boots in 2010.

Starting out as an assistant at the Scarlets – where he made his name as a player – he went on to have spells with Rotherham Titans, north Wales club RGC 1404 and Worcester, while also globe-trotting to work with Namibia and the Crusaders in New Zealand. There have also been stints with Wales and Wales U20.

So his coaching CV is certainly a full one.

It’s a journey which has involved plenty of sacrifice for the 45-year-old father-of-two, but that, in itself, reflects his passion for the work.

“When you can’t play anymore, the closest thing you can get is helping people who play,” he says.

“I love coaching. It’s a little bit of a drug.

“Even when you have awful moments, where you feel like nothing can get much worse from a job perspective, the highs keep getting you up in the morning and outweigh the lows.

“My coaching journey has been like that. There have been moments where I have had to dig deep and sacrifice things.

“Driving up to north Wales, four and a half hours up, four and a half hours back and doing a full day in between and getting home at midnight and not putting your kids to bed.

“Those moments test you whether you love it or just like it. It has tested how much I liked coaching. I don’t just like it, I love it.”

Becoming defence coach at the Crusaders in Canterbury meant putting in even more miles, but it brought success in the shape of the Super Rugby Aotearoa title in 2020, while he took a huge amount from working under Scott Robertson, now the All Blacks boss.

“The sacrifice the family gave by moving to New Zealand was huge,” he acknowledged.

“I learned a huge amount there. A lot of the stuff I believed in over here, they were using already, so that was awesome to think your philosophy is aligned with some of the best players and teams in the world.

“There were also things that completely changed my outlook on the game.”

In addition to working with Robertson, Jones was also coached by the likes of Graham Henry, Steve Hansen, Warren Gatland and Gareth Jenkins during his playing days.

“I have taken something from everybody, but I have my own style,” he says.

“You have to be yourself because if you try to be somebody else, the mask will slip and people will see right through you.

“I am my own person and I will do it my own way. I will be honest around my work ethic, feedback and straight down the line.

“That’s all you can ever ask of somebody and my performance will be built on that. You can’t promise any more in professional sport.”

Reflecting on the responsibility he now has at the Ospreys, he says: “We are building on top of the people that have gone before.

“There have been a lot of great coaches through here, a lot of great players and we are building on the work of those guys.

“The foundations have been here for many years.

“We are going to look to add layers around our game, but you aren’t going to change the world in a day, so we are just going to chip away.”

Jones’ reign began with a dramatic last-play URC victory over the Scarlets which was followed by a draw away to high-flying Cardiff Rugby, despite having a player red-carded before half-time.

Then came Challenge Cup victories over Newcastle and Pau, with last Saturday’s victory out in the French Pyrenees seeing them run in five tries as they staged a grandstand finish having trailed 28-19 with just six minutes to go.

“I enjoyed the win, but it was actually the way we won the game more than anything,” said the Builth Wells-born Jones.

“Defensively, we set our stall out from the start about how difficult we were going to be to beat, so I knew the signs were good right from the off.

“We had also talked around having a brave mindset and attacking them. You know when you go to a place like that in France, you probably need to score four tries to win because the opposition is so good and we had a mindset around doing that.

“It’s an area of our game we want to grow – being more threatening with the ball – and I thought there were huge signs of that again to another level against a very good physical team.

“You could see at the end, the boys were still looking for more. We have asked them to be braver and they are taking that on and actioning it, which is class.

“It means now we have an opportunity to play in front of our supporters in the next round.

“All credit to the staff and the players, they have been phenomenal.”

There will be no resting on any laurels, however, with their next opponents, Benetton, having claimed a memorable Champions Cup victory over La Rochelle on the weekend to reach the last 16.

Jones concluded: “As awesome as the feeling was from our win out in France, we’ve got to park that now.

“We’ve got a Benetton team coming to us that’s going to be energised, so it’s important we have energy ourselves and are clear about our game plan.”