Jones departs the Scarlets

 

Former Scarlets and Wales winger Mark Jones, who has given over 15 years service to the club and region as both player and coach will move on from his current role as attack coach at the end of the season.

 

As a player, Jones made 163 appearances for Llanelli RFC and the Scarlets over 12 seasons, scoring a total of 85 tries. He was involved in the Scarlets' memorable European Cup campaigns of the early 2000s, in which the club narrowly missed out on reaching the final.

 

He made his Wales debut as a replacement against England in a Six Nations match in 2001 and went on to win 47 caps for his country, playing at the Rugby World Cup in 2003 and 2007 and he was part of the Grand Slam winning side of 2008. Jones scored 13 tries for Wales.

 

In 2009-10 Mark Jones was named captain of the Scarlets, in what turned out to be his last season of rugby, as he was forced to retire through injury in August 2010.

 

Following his retirement Jones was named as Scarlets Skills Coach and later Attack Coach.

 

In 2012 he was rewarded for his hard work with a call up into the Wales backroom staff to assist Caretaker Coach Rob Howley during the year-end Series, as well as the 2013 Six Nations, in which Wales retained their title, and the June Tour to Japan.

 

Commenting on the move career Scarlet Mark Jones said: "The Scarlets has been a huge part of my life and I'm thankful for the opportunities and experiences I've had over the years.

 

"I'd like to thank the players that I've worked alongside over the years, as both a player and a coach and particularly owe my thanks to Gareth [Jenkins] and Nigel [Davies] who allowed me to play for, captain and coach the club. 

 

"There are a countless number of backroom staff to thank who've shared this journey with me over the years, too many to name, but have all played their part in some way.

 

"The Scarlets has been the biggest part of my life but I feel that the time is right to further challenge myself, both personally and professionally, and I'm excited by the future and looking forward to the next chapter.