Kentish Express Ashford & District
That’s our boy! Rugby pride for parents
A father has spoken of his “immense pride” in seeing his son make his international rugby debut.
Bill Jones, the headmaster of Spring Grove School in Wye, watched his son Huw, 22, come on as a replacement from the bench during Scotland’s 21-16 second test win against Japan in Toyko on Saturday.
Mr Jones and his wife Hilary watched the game on television as it was broadcast on BBC2 Scotland at 11.20am.
Mr Jones said: “He’s got his first international cap and we’re immensely proud of him.”
Huw, born in Scotland, started out as a youngster at Canterbury, before his studies led to a scholarship at Millfield.
After leaving school four years ago, Huw took a gap year and travelled to South Africa.
While there, he continued to play the sport and was offered a rugby scholarship through the University of Cape Town.
Following this, he played for Western Province working his way up through junior and senior ranks and last year was selected for the professional team Stormers and has a contract with them until next year.
Mr Jones said it has been a long process for his son to gain international recognition.
He said: “We are very, very proud.
“From our view this sort of thing does not happen overnight of course. It’s a stage by stage thing.”
Talking about his son’s next steps, Mr Jones said “It’s a journey. What you want to do is you want to keep moving forward.”
When in England, Huw occasionally coaches rugby at Spring Grove School.
Speaking to the BBC after the game, Huw Jones said: “It’s a nice way to finish the season. It was a massive day for me.
“It’s a brilliant feeling to be able to get on the field and contribute to a win.”