Jenkins & McBryde sign up to pass on skills

With 125 caps between them, the two ex-British & Irish Lions will provide a wealth of experience and practical advice to the 74 players selected for the four Regional Academies as part of the WRU’s Objective One funded ‘Welsh Rugby Industry’ project.

Jenkins, who retired from the game in 2004 having scored a world record 1,090 points in 87 games for Wales and four Tests with the Lions, and Scarlets hooker McBryde, who was forced to retire with a neck injury this summer after playing 37 times for his country, will start work full-time on 1 October and join Wayne Jones, Danny Wilson and Gruff Rees as skills coaches.

The five men will be key members of a 14 strong team of professionals working under the guidance of Will Thomas, the former Wales A No 8, who is the project co-coordinator. The four Regional Academy Managers, Regional Conditioning Coaches and the National Women’s Academy Co-Coordinator will also be under his control.

“Neil and Robin are both qualified coaches who were put through a rigorous and highly competitive series of interviews before their appointments,” said Mostyn Richards, the WRU High Performance Manager.

“The fact two such high profile international players are set to become part of our Academy project is fantastic news for the future of the game in Wales. Robin spent a lot of last season working with the Llanelli Premiership side, while Neil has been working with a lot of the best young kickers around the country as well as working with Cardiff Blues.

“We will be looking to Robin to advise on all aspects of front five play, as well as overall conditioning for forwards, while Neil will not only work on kicking skills, but also work on distribution and passing.

“Wayne, Danny and Gruff will also bring a huge amount of coaching experience and enthusiasm to their roles and will oversee a range of rugby skills, including defence, continuity, the line-out, the scrum and passing. All five will also be involved in teaching the Academy members about rugby analysis and how to prepare for the professional game.”

Both Jenkins and McBryde will spend time with the National Team Management to ensure that the knowledge gained at the top end of the game can be filtered down to the Academy players.

Regional Academy Managers
Blues: Justin Burnell
Dragons: Gareth Nicholas
Ospreys: Gethin Watts
Scarlets: Kevin George

National Skills Coaches
Wayne Jones (ex-Ebbw Vale coach and current Wales U18 head coach)
Gruff Rees (ex-Glamorgan Wanderers Director of Rugby and current Wales U18 coach)
Danny Wilson (ex-England Women’s assistant coach)
Robin McBryde (ex-Llanelli assistant coach, Wales, Lions)
Neil Jenkins (Cardiff Blues skills coach, Wales, Lions)

Academy Conditioning Coaches
Blues: Chris Tombs
Dragons: Paul Bunce
Ospreys: Keith Holifield
Scarlets: Aled Walters

WWRU National  Academy Manager
Sophie Bennett