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Ospreys coach Jones leaves region
Ospreys coach Lyn Jones has left the region by mutual consent.
Jones, who had been in charge since the Ospreys' inception in 2003, won the EDF Energy Cup this season and has brought two Magners League ***les to Swansea.
But rumours about his future had spread following the big-spending Ospreys' surprise loss in the quarter-final of the Heineken Cup at Saracens.
Andrew Hore, the Kiwi Elite Performance Director brought in mid-season, will hunt for a successor this summer.
The Ospreys board have stated that Jones' successor will be someone of "worldwide calibre", with early rumours linking the region to Nick Mallett and Jake White.
During the recruitment process, assistant coach Sean Holley and forwards coach Jonathan Humphreys will continue under Hore's guidance. "Lyn has done an outstanding job in his time as Ospreys coach and, without doubt, has been the most successful coach in Wales since the onset of regional rugby," said Ospreys managing director Roger Blyth.
"He successfully led us through our challenging formative seasons, combining the rugby playing cultures of Neath and Swansea into a new dynamic.
"Having achieved so much, we whole-heartedly understand Lyn's desire to leave on a high and seek a new challenge in the next phase of, what I have no doubt, will remain an outstanding career coaching rugby.
"Our challenge is now to recruit a coach of worldwide calibre, capable of picking up the reigns from Lyn to drive the region forward and accelerate our development.
"We want the right man for the job and we are prepared to look hard and fight hard to get him." Jones himself added: "The last 10 years have been a tremendous time for me personally and professionally, with Neath RFC and the Ospreys.
"The region now stands as one of the leading sides in European rugby and that is something that I know everybody involved at the Ospreys is proud of.
"I feel it's now time to get my teeth into a new challenge and that it is the best time for a new hand to come in and move the Ospreys to its next level of development."
Hore, who arrived at the Ospreys in March, has spent the last two months carrying out a head-to-toe review of the region.
He said after last month's impressive 23-6 EDF Energy Cup final win over Leicester that the result would have no bearing on his findings.
"One-off wins are not how we measure things, that's not what we're about," Hore told BBC Sport Wales at the time.
"We're assessing the whole region and individuals in it, and we're doing it in a measured and calculated way."
Jones is the second Welsh regional coach to depart after the end of the 2007/8 season, Phil Davies having left Llanelli Scarlets to be replaced by Nigel Davies.
From BBC Sport
Ospreys coach Lyn Jones has left the region by mutual consent.
Jones, who had been in charge since the Ospreys' inception in 2003, won the EDF Energy Cup this season and has brought two Magners League ***les to Swansea.
But rumours about his future had spread following the big-spending Ospreys' surprise loss in the quarter-final of the Heineken Cup at Saracens.
Andrew Hore, the Kiwi Elite Performance Director brought in mid-season, will hunt for a successor this summer.
The Ospreys board have stated that Jones' successor will be someone of "worldwide calibre", with early rumours linking the region to Nick Mallett and Jake White.
During the recruitment process, assistant coach Sean Holley and forwards coach Jonathan Humphreys will continue under Hore's guidance. "Lyn has done an outstanding job in his time as Ospreys coach and, without doubt, has been the most successful coach in Wales since the onset of regional rugby," said Ospreys managing director Roger Blyth.
"He successfully led us through our challenging formative seasons, combining the rugby playing cultures of Neath and Swansea into a new dynamic.
"Having achieved so much, we whole-heartedly understand Lyn's desire to leave on a high and seek a new challenge in the next phase of, what I have no doubt, will remain an outstanding career coaching rugby.
"Our challenge is now to recruit a coach of worldwide calibre, capable of picking up the reigns from Lyn to drive the region forward and accelerate our development.
"We want the right man for the job and we are prepared to look hard and fight hard to get him." Jones himself added: "The last 10 years have been a tremendous time for me personally and professionally, with Neath RFC and the Ospreys.
"The region now stands as one of the leading sides in European rugby and that is something that I know everybody involved at the Ospreys is proud of.
"I feel it's now time to get my teeth into a new challenge and that it is the best time for a new hand to come in and move the Ospreys to its next level of development."
Hore, who arrived at the Ospreys in March, has spent the last two months carrying out a head-to-toe review of the region.
He said after last month's impressive 23-6 EDF Energy Cup final win over Leicester that the result would have no bearing on his findings.
"One-off wins are not how we measure things, that's not what we're about," Hore told BBC Sport Wales at the time.
"We're assessing the whole region and individuals in it, and we're doing it in a measured and calculated way."
Jones is the second Welsh regional coach to depart after the end of the 2007/8 season, Phil Davies having left Llanelli Scarlets to be replaced by Nigel Davies.
From BBC Sport
