So it probably wasn’t a huge surprise when Dylan followed in their footsteps. For the past 13 years, he has been coaching at Ystrad Rhondda RFC, where he was a player for the best part of a decade.
During that time, he has helped establish the team as a leading outfit in the Championship and recently guided them to the league’s cup final against Pontypool at the Principality Stadium, with a Mid-District cup final against Brecon to follow later this month.
Now, with his 40th birthday coming up, he has decided to step down at the end of the season, but he does so with real pride at what has been achieved at the club.
Dylan’s earliest sporting memories revolve around Sardis Road where his dad and uncle coached in the late 1980s. “Rugby has always been a big part of my family’s life,” he says.
“My dad was obviously heavily involved with coaching. He used to take me down to Pontypridd when I was very young. We used to play on the side of the pitch at Sardis Road. I would be there for matches and coaching sessions.
“I followed him Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from a young age. It’s literally been ingrained in me.”
After Ponty came Treorchy and “The Dream” of the early 1990s as the club moved up the leagues to Welsh rugby’s top flight. “They were great times. It was really exciting, really good days,” says Dylan.
“I just remember how they engaged the community, with the support on Saturdays. It drew big crowds to see top class players coming to Treorchy. It was fantastic and it captured the imagination of a lot of people.
“I was in and around it all and fascinated by coaching. I used to sit in on the team meetings and selection meetings until the early hours in the rugby club. I have fond memories of that.”
In terms of his own playing progress, Jones was actually more focused on football as a youngster, but then switched to rugby in his late teens.
“I was a late developer, but once I started playing properly I caught the bug and just really enjoyed it.”
After a year of youth team rugby with Treorchy, he then moved to Ystrad Rhondda to play at senior level, with fly-half his position.
“I have been here for about 21 years now, apart from a short stint at Pontypridd for a couple of seasons,” he says.
Given his old man played at prop and hooker, was there no temptation to follow him into the front row? “I stayed well away from there! I was a footballer, so I sort of had skills that maybe complimented the back positions.
“I liked to move the ball and attack. I just enjoyed having the ball in my hands.”
Jones was only 27 when he became player-coach at Ystrad.
“Our backs coach had an opportunity to move his family to Dubai and the club asked me if I would do it, so I gave it a go,” he explains.
“I was player-coach until I was about 34 and then just concentrated on the coaching side. I ended up taking on more of a leadership role. I had a vision of what I wanted to see in the club and I sort of grew into more of a head coaching role.
“In terms of what inspired me, that period during The Dream at Treorchy were just remarkable days.
“There’s also the work then my father has done with Rhondda Schools. He has had a big impact with the leadership he has shown in our area.
“In terms of me as a coach, the playing stint I had at Ponty under Dale McIntosh and Paul John was also really inspirational. I learned an awful lot from that.
“When I came back to Ystrad, I was really driven and motivated by trying to create that culture which I had witnessed at Ponty.”
Looking back on his time at the Rhondda club, Jones says: “I am really proud of the progression and development over the whole period.
“When I took over, we were relegated to Division Two and we used to bounce between Division One and Division Two quite regularly when I was playing.
Ystrad Rhondda reached this year’s WRU National Championship Final
“I think a breakthrough moment is when we won the Swalec Plate in 2015 down at the stadium. That was tremendous, a massive achievement for us.
“But the one I was really proud of is when we eventually won Division One and got promotion to the Championship after finishing second for five years.
“We beat Brynmawr in the play-off and that really stands out as a memory. It was a long time coming and we put a lot of effort and work into that.
“After we got promoted, we managed to kick on and have a good year. We finished second to Pontypool in the Championship and again that was a massive achievement.
“We have probably punched above our weight when you consider our history. We are a small village club and I think everyone can be proud of their achievements.
“We are competing with the likes of Pontypool and Neath, historical names in Welsh rugby. For us to be mentioned in the same breath as them and compete on the same stage – as we did with Pooler in the Championship final last month – is a massive thing.”Now it is time for someone else to take up the reins from Jones, who works as a quality advisor for the Military Preparation College.
“I have done it for such a long period of time and I just know in myself it’s time to take a little break,” he says. “I have got a young family, with three children, and my commitments with rugby have been pretty full on.
“Any coach will tell you, it’s not just Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday if you want to do a good job of it. It takes over your life. I just know it’s the right moment to invest a little bit of my time and energy into some other things.
“But Ystrad is my club, a lot of my friends are there and I will help wherever I can behind the scenes.”
