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Kingsley Jones to leave role as Canada men's head coach
By Jon Newcombe
Kingsley Jones' reign as the second-longest serving men's head coach in Canadian rugby history has come to an end my mutual agreement,
Since taking up the position in 2017, the former Wales international has overseen 48 Test matches, of which only 13 were wins.
Under Jones, Canada failed to qualify for the Rugby World Cup for the first time in 2023, yet the 54-year-old was still awarded a two-year contract extension in October 2023.
However, a run of five consecutive defeats has forced a rethink and the search for a new head coach has started as Canada aims to put itself in the best possible position to qualify for RWC 2027.
Whilst on-field results were poor, Jones has been credited with restoring and improving the player development pathway following Covid and the development of Canadian coaches such as Sean White, Phil Mack and Hubert Buydens.
“It has been an honour, and a great experience for myself and my family, to be with Rugby Canada over the last seven years,” said Jones, who has previously coached Russia.
“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.”
Rugby Canada confirmed Jones will remain on board during the handover process.
“On behalf of Rugby Canada, I would like to thank Kingsley for his dedication and contributions to rugby in Canada over the last seven years,” said Nathan Bombrys, Rugby Canada CEO. “We wish him and his family all the best in this next chapter.”
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Go to commentsI think we're going to see a recovery, finally, after the post-COVID period. Premiership Rugby has never been more accessible, and more competitive. Every match is on some form of television, whether TNT Sports or Discovery+ streaming. You have a situation in which every single point counts, which means every single try counts, every PK, every conversion kick. It's crazy.
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Leverage the relationship with WarnerDiscovery (who own TNT Sports). to get Premiership Rugby on the TNT and TBS networks, as well as their Max streaming service in the US. Give to them first at a discount if need be. Tough to find very recent figures but based on what I can find, about 25% of English declare an interest in following rugby union as spectators. This means, if just about 4% of Americans take an interest in rugby, you have a market as big as the one rugby union currently captures in England. I think that's doable.
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