Rugby Canada is looking for a new men's coach after seven years with Kingsley Jones at the helm.
Canada is currently ranked 23rd in the world rankings, sandwiched between Hong Kong and the Netherlands. And losses have been all too common of late with the Canadian men beaten last month by No. 20 Romania (35-27) and No. 21 Chile (44-14), with both games in Bucharest.
That made five straight defeats for the men, who have won just two of their last 12 tests. In his defence, Jones has used some of the more recent tests to debut young players, with Rugby Canada noting he leaves behind a squad with an average age of 24.
While Rugby Canada says the parting of ways was mutual, it appears the governing body initiated the change.
Rugby Canada CEO Nathan Bombrys said despite some progress this year — with the team able to play seven test matches, up from four in both 2022 and 2023 — new leadership was needed.
"We just felt going forward … it's just time for a change, time for a new voice, time for a different way of looking at this," Bombrys said in an interview.
"Realistically seven years is a long time in a role," he added.
In parting ways with Jones, Rugby Canada can now look to a coach to spearhead qualifying for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, initially via the 2025 Pacific Nations Cup. Rugby Canada says it has begun work on a succession plan.
Jones, whose record at the Canadian helm is 14-34-0 in international test play and 17-38-0 including non-test matches, had signed a two-year contract extension in October 2023.
“It has been an honour, and a great experience for myself and my family, to be with Rugby Canada over the last seven years,” Jones said in a Rugby Canada statement. “The discipline, hard work and professionalism of the great people in this program are second to none, and I would like to thank the players and the staff for their commitment and support.”
In many ways, the news is not that Jones is leaving but that he lasted this long at a governing body that has spent the last few years trying to right the ship in a variety of ways.
During his tenure, Rugby Canada has undergone several changes in leadership and philosophy.
Sevens and 15s players, initially kept apart so they could focus on their own game, are now working in one pool.
Jones has had to deal with financial restraints, the pandemic and the bulk of his talent playing in the still-nascent Major League Rugby. The demise of the MLR's Toronto Arrows, which housed numerous Canadian internationals, in November 2023 did not help.
He has also had to work with a limited international schedule, largely dependent on World Rugby.
In its statement, Rugby Canada paid tribute to Jones for helping reboot the Pacific Pride development academy, assisting the development of players-turned-coaches like Sean White, Phil Mack and Hubert Buydens and developing depth in the program.
Rugby Canada noted that during Jones' tenure more than 100 Canadian players have been contracted to MLR teams and 12 to European development academies and Southern Hemisphere provincial squads. More than 50 Pacific Pride and sevens program players have graduated to the senior side.
"I think we have some promising young players," said Bombrys. "There's a few players in that group that just played in November that I think would run through a brick wall for Canada. They're really passionate and they want to see the Canadian team back to being where it was.
Such players "deserve an opportunity to get better in a Canadian shirt and I think they will," he added.
But to help them get there, Rugby Canada will need more than a new coach.
"We need opportunity, we need some investment, we need some support to be able to get the most of those players," Bombrys said. "We need to give them more opportunity to train together and prepare together and play together. As simple as that."
Jones, a former flanker who won 10 caps for Wales between 1996 and 1998 and captained his country once, took over the Canadian men in September 2017.
He succeeded New Zealand's Mark Anscombe, who was fired that August after the then-24th-ranked Canadians lost to the 17th-ranked United States in its first crack at qualifying for the 2019 Rugby World Cup. Anscombe's test record as coach was 2-11-1.
Under Jones, the Canadians eventually made it to that World Cup in Japan where they went winless. But Canada failed to qualify for the 2023 World Cup, missing out on the sport's showcase for the first time after losing two-legged qualifying series to the U.S. (59-50 on aggregate) and Chile (54-46 on aggregate) in September and October 2021, respectively.
He joined Canada from the Welsh Rugby Union where he was charged with identifying and recruiting talent to the pro game in Wales. Jones coached Russia from 2011 to 2014.
At club level, he coached the Newport Gwent Dragons in Wales and the Sale Sharks and Doncaster in England. He was also an assistant coach with London Welsh. During Jones' tenure, Sale won the Premiership title and the European Challenge Cup.
Jones captained virtually every team he played for and acquired coaching badges as he played.
Jones comes from a rugby family. Sons Rhys and Dorian both played rugby under him at Newport.
His late father, Phil Kingsley Jones, coached Tonga as well as club sides in New Zealand and managed the late All Blacks legend Jonah Lomu.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 5, 2024.
Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press
