JONES RELISHING NEW CHALLENGE

THIS time last year, Felix Jones would have expected to be in the middle of a gruelling pre-season with Munster around now, but he wouldn’t have predicted that he would be one of the coaches setting the rigorous programme, WRITES CIAN TRACEY.

The former full-back, whose career was ended by a neck injury last October, has wasted little time in taking the first step on the coaching ladder.

To be handed a role in Munster’s new-look coaching staff just eight months after retiring was too good an opportunity to turn down and it didn’t take him long to realise that.

“It is a massive opportunity,” acknowledged Jones. “I spent a huge amount of time thinking around where I would go or how I would approach things.

“I spoke to many people – people I trusted and whose opinion I valued. Within Ireland, outside of Ireland – within rugby circles, outside of rugby circles.

“I tried to expose myself to a couple of different environments within rugby circles – professional and amateur and outside of rugby in high performance environments over a number a months.”

One of the people Jones confided in was Joe Schmidt and the Ireland head coach is believed to have played a key role in him securing the ‘technical coaching role’.

“I talk to Joe quite a bit around a whole host of things,” he said. “I’m lucky enough that I have a relationship with Joe where I can bounce ideas off him and chat to him. I talk to Joe regularly.

“I’m giving all my energy to it, all my focus. I’m trying to apply the same amount of application as when I first came down here.”