The Wales prop will be a key figure for the Dragons this season
Wyn Jones (C) is at the Dragons this season(Image: © Huw Evans Picture Agency)
The 2024/25 season was one to forget for the Dragons, but there are credible reasons to believe the Welsh club will be significantly more competitive this time around.
There were a significant number of areas in need of fixing but none more important than the front five. Head coach Filo Tiatia and his support staff took great care to identify the right players not only to improve the club’s on-field performance but to strengthen the culture.
One of these players is former Wales prop Wyn Jones, who will be crucial to the club’s chances of competing this season.
The former Scarlets star returns to Welsh rugby after a season at English giants Harlequins.
Jones will combine playing rugby with working at his farm back home in Llandovery while he and his wife have recently welcomed their first son, Lewis Wyn, into the world. Sign up to Inside Welsh rugby on Substack to get exclusive news stories and insight from behind the scenes in Welsh rugby.
“As you get older and you know your transition out of the game is getting closer,” Jones tells WalesOnline. “For me it was about coming home.
“We’ve just had our first baby, so it was nice to be able to live at home and play rugby while having family and home comforts around us.
“That was best for me and the family. I help out a lot with my parents and keep an eye on the farm back home.
“With the little one being born it’s nice to be closer to the family.
“When you are younger you never think about life after retirement, but when you cross 30 you think okay I’m probably getting closer to the end.
“You have a different outlook once you get over the 30 mark and you have to look at the future as well.”
Back on Jones’ farm in Llandovery his family has around 400 acres of land which comprises 100 cattle.
“I’ll probably go back to the farm and take that over,” Jones tells WalesOnline when asked what he’ll do when he eventually retires.
“I’ll be trying to keep my hand in there while still playing rugby.
“Rugby still comes first as it always does but when I was in London it was more difficult to keep my eyes on things and keep my hand in more than it is now.
“I literally do anything on the farm.
“If I’m tired and need a day off it will be lighter duties if anything at all and some days when I’m tired after training if there’s jobs that need doing I’ll help out.
“It could be anything from cattle work to sheep work to tractor work. There’s a range of different things all depending on the time of year really. I think it gives me a good balance.
“If you have a bad day in training you can go out and do something on the farm and completely switch off. On days off it helps me switch off from rugby.
“That’s probably been the key for me having something else to focus on when you’ve had a good day in rugby or won a grand slam, there’s always something that’s gone wrong on the farm to bring you back down to earth – or vice versa.
“It kind of brings you back down to earth. Rugby will come first whatever happens and that’s always been the case or it never would have worked.”
But as Jones says rugby comes first and he will undoubtedly play a key role for the Dragons this season.
The 48-cap Wales international who toured with the British & Irish Lions to South Africa in 2021 will bring a hard edge and scrummaging prowess to the Dragons front-row. Join WalesOnline Rugby’s WhatsApp Channel here to get the breaking news sent straight to your phone for free
“I’ll bring a bit of experience,” Jones tells WalesOnline. “They’ve got a young squad here.
“They’ve brought in the likes of myself, Dillon (Lewis), Thomas Young, Seb (Davies) and Levi (Douglas).
“Last season they were winning games at 60 minutes and then it slipped away from them.
“It’s just adding that little bit of experience and trying to get those games over the line to get more wins under our belt.
“A lot of recruitment has been done in the front five and the pack especially.”
Tiatia’s side recorded only two wins last season but they should expect a better return this time around after an aggressive recruitment drive.
The likes of Jones, Young and Lewis, among others, will be tasked with improving the competitiveness of the Dragons pack, while they will also complement some of the club’s bright young talent in the shape of Jordan Morris, Brodie Coghlan, Dylan Kelleher-Griffiths and Nick Thomas, among others.
“A lot of recruitment has been done in the front five and the pack especially,” he said.
“I’ve been very impressed with the young boys coming through.
“You’ve got Dylan and Jordan, two young looseheads who have been training really well. I’ve been really impressed with those two.
“They’ve got plenty of questions to ask which is great and hopefully I can help them along as well.
“I’ve also been impressed with Brodie, the hooker.
“There’s a lot of good young youngsters here but they need a few years to get some more game time under their belts and some more time in the environment.
“It’s looking very positive and I truly believe we can be competitive this year.” Get the latest breaking Welsh rugby news stories sent straight to your inbox with our FREE daily newsletter. Sign up here.
Times are tough in Welsh rugby at the moment with the Welsh Rugby Union working behind the scenes to put a new structure in place for the professional game.
A reduction of professional clubs is a possibility but Jones insists what goes on in the boardroom will not affect the team’s performance this season.
“It was refreshing going to England and not having to go to crisis meetings!,” joked Jones. “It’s above our pay grade. We turn up and do our professional job as best as we can.
“We just leave people above us to sort it out. It’s probably been going on for too long I’ll be honest and it needs to get sorted out sooner rather than later.
“It’s above my pay grade so I’ll just leave them to it. There has been a lot of change at the Dragons this year.
“I’ve been very impressed with the training facilities, the staff and everything around the place having been at the Scarlets for years and knowing where the other regions train.
“This is by far the best training facility and everything is here. We can’t use that as an excuse. It’s very positive here.
“I think the coaches are really good and I really think we can take strides forward.”
Jones played a straight bat when asked about the prospect of a Wales recall, but if he can help turn the Dragons pack around a phone call from Steve Tandy is not out of the question.