Lyn ready for a hot Currie Cup reception

FORMER Ospreys and Newport Gwent Dragons coach Lyn Jones says he is relishing the prospect of taking over the reins of Namibian Currie Cup team the Welwitschias.

He will start his new role on April 1 with the aim of improving the fortunes of a side who lost every game they played in the first division of South Africa’s domestic competition last year.

But the size of the challenge isn’t daunting the man who led the Ospreys to two Celtic League titles and a memorable EDF Energy Cup final success over Leicester.

“I’m really looking forward to it,” he said.

“I have coached in the Celtic League and in the English top division and this will allow me to work on a different continent in the third oldest rugby competition in the world.

“It is going to be a fantastic life experience, but I am going out there to do a job of work and my goal will be to add as much value to their operation as I possibly can.

“I am under no illusions about the size of the challenge.

“But if everyone is prepared to work hard, there is no reason why the players and team can’t get better.”

His appointment adds to the Welsh dimension in Namibian rugby, with Jones’s former Wales and Llanelli team-mate Phil Davies heading up their national side.

After nine months out of the game, Jones reckons he is feeling refreshed. “It’s been good to have a break,” he said. “I’ve been walking, reading and just taking it easy.

“But it’s time to get back into rugby.

“There are elements I haven’t missed, but I’m excited about working in a different culture and it’s going to be great fun to see how much we can improve.”

Jones watched the Ospreys defeat Lyon 47-7 in the European Challenge Cup last weekend and was hugely impressed with the way Steve Tandy’s team were able to take the game away from the French with a devastating attacking burst midway through the game.

“It was really enjoyable to watch,” he said.

“They were 7-0 down around the half-hour mark, then tries started to be run in from all over the place and in the space of 25 minutes they had scored 40 points.”