Rugby

Adam Jones joins Wales coaching team on secondment from Harlequins

Jones won 95 Wales caps and played in five British and Irish Lions Tests.

Adam Jones will join Wales’ coaching team for the Six Nations
Adam Jones will join Wales’ coaching team for the Six Nations (Paul Harding/PA)
By Andrew Baldock, PA Rugby Union Correspondent

Scrum specialist Adam Jones will join Wales’ coaching team for this season’s Guinness Six Nations.

Jones will link up with Warren Gatland’s support staff on secondment from Harlequins, where he has worked since 2018.

Jones won 95 Wales caps during an 11-year international career that included Six Nations titles, Grand Slams and three World Cups.

He also played in five Lions Tests across the 2009 tour to South Africa and then Australia four years later.

The Welsh Rugby Union said that 43-year-old Jones will work closely with forwards coach Jonathan Humphreys, having specific responsibility for the scrum.

Jones will report for Wales duty following Quins’ Gallagher Premiership clash against Northampton on Friday, then return to his club after the Six Nations concludes in March.

Wales kick off their Six Nations campaign against France in Paris on January 31.

Psychology and human performance specialist Andy McCann, meanwhile, will also be on board for the Six Nations.

McCann, who worked with Wales’ senior men’s team from 2009 to 2017, returns in an advisory capacity with a remit covering mental skills and performance.

“I am delighted that Adam and Andy will be joining us for the Guinness Six Nations, and I would like to thank Harlequins for allowing Adam to take up this opportunity,” Gatland said.

“With less than two weeks to our first game against France in Paris, we will be working hard as a group to maximise our preparation and start our campaign on a high.”

Jones added: “I am looking forward to working with ‘Gats’ and ‘Humphs’, two big influences on my career as a player. It has all moved quickly, but I am looking forward to it.

“It is going to be a challenge coming from the Premiership, and this is my first taste of coaching international rugby, so there will be a learning process for me as well, but it is a great opportunity to make an impact and aid my development as a coach.”