Ex-Wales international Paul Turner leaves Ampthill 'with a heavy heart'

Ampthill’s Paul Turner has become the second Championship Head Coach/Director of Rugby to leave their post midway through he season.

Two months after Richie Williams stepped down from his role as Cambridge boss, popular Welshman Turner has decided to call time on a remarkable 14-year stint at the Bedfordshire club, nicknamed ‘The Mob’.

The former Wales, Newbridge, Newport, London Welsh, Sale and Bedford fly-half, who stayed true to his attack-minded approach as a player in coaching, will now concentrate on his consultancy position with Dragons RFC.

Before Ampthill, Turner coached at Sale and Bedford in a player-coach capacity before having brief spells at Saracens, Rugby Lions and Gloucester.

Turner then joined Harlequins, who won the European Challenge Cup during his time at the club, before he returned to Wales to coach the Dragons, his hometown region. Turner spent five years at the Dragons and was named Magners League Coach of the Year in 2010.

“With a heavy heart, I have decided to end my role as Head Coach of this fantastic club. It has been an amazing 14 years,” said Turner, who won three caps in the late ’80s.

“I would like to thank all the players and staff who I worked with over this time. I would particularly like to express my immense gratitude to Director of Rugby, Mark Lavery. He has provided me with terrific support and help in so many ways, without which our successes would not have been possible.

“Going forwards, I will be focused on my existing consultancy position with Dragons.”

Turner, 65, joined Ampthill in 2011 as a consultant and became Head Coach in 2012/13, engineering the club’s rise from National 3 Midlands to the Championship, where they have survived and thrived in their six seasons in the second tier of English rugby despite being a part-time outfit.

Director of Rugby, Mark Lavery said: “I consider Paul as a close personal friend, and the impact Paul has had on the club, the town and the district is absolutely incredible. I will always remember when we pulled up at our first away game at Esher in National 1, one of the Esher committee members came over and said, “Where exactly is Ampthill? We’ve never heard of you!” Safe to say, they knew of us by the end of the game because PT led us to a 4-try bonus point win on the road.”