The workaholic Welsh rugby coach now looking for a new job after 30 years
For the first time in three decades, Kingsley Jones finds himself in a rather unique position.
Back in December, it was announced that the 55-year-old would step down as Canada head coach after seven years. Having been on rugby's never-ending treadmill for just over 30 years - first as a player and now as a coach - the next step is currently unknown.
There's nothing in place for the rugby workaholic when he leaves his role with Canada in the coming months. Instead, all possibilities are open to the former Wales international - who has coached at two World Cups and taken charge of over 100 Test matches.
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"It was a tough decision but it was right for both parties," Jones tells WalesOnline. "If I hadn’t got the energy to go into the next qualification period, there needed to be a change now, not in May or whenever.
"There’s a chance for a transition now, while I’ve got a chance to still support while having a little break. I’ve had 22 years of coaching without a break.
"I’ve got to push myself to take it easy. I finished playing in May and started coaching in June. It’s been 30-odd years non-stop. It’s an unfamiliar position.
"It’s really important I learn a bit more about myself, having a break. I really want to get excited about something. It might not happen, of course.
"I’m not naive enough to think it’s not hard to get good jobs. There’s no guarantee. But I want to see what comes in the next few months.
"I get up now and there’s no emails or WhatsApp's like usual. I might do some shadowing with URC teams or maybe something in the Six Nations. I’ll spend some time doing that.
"I’m excited as I don’t get the opportunity to do that. I’ve learned so much in the seven years here.
"I’m a different person to when I left. 2025 is going to be a good year for me. I’m excited to see what comes, it might be coaching or it might be administration.
"I’m at an age where I think I’ve got another three or four years to coach. It takes energy and drive, which I think I’ve got. But I’m open to other roles as well. 100 Test matches and two World Cups as a head coach. I’ve got a lot of experience and it’s a shame not to use it.
"Eddie Jones tells me the next six years are where you’re at your best. I’ve never been available so it’ll be interesting to see if anyone reaches out. It’s a bit like being with a girlfriend, you’re not worrying about getting another one. That’s where I’m at right now!"
What comes next remains to be seen. Reflecting on his time with Canada, it's fair to say his time in the job has been maligned by some, with the national team failing to qualify for the World Cup for the first time in their history in 2023.
Under Jones, Canada lost 34 of their 48 Test matches. They sit 23rd in the world rankings. Yet there are mitigating circumstances, with finances tight in Canadian rugby, a lack of fixtures at Test level stunting their progress and their franchise in Major League Rugby, Toronto Arrows, going out of business in November 2023.
However, Jones feels the pathways have improved since he came in, with the average age of the squad now being 24.
"Ahead of the 2019 World Cup, we had 12 full-time rugby players," explains Jones. "The rest had to get time off work.
"It’s very difficult for people to hold down jobs like that. I’ve learned a lot about making sure these players have a pathway and being semi-professional at the very least in the MLR, training every day. Then the national academy, setting that up.
"Of the current 65-player watchlist, there’s 42 that have come through the national academy that we started in 2018. That’s the stuff I’m pleased with and the stuff I put a lot of energy into, obviously with the lack of Test matches.
"We just played Romania. Canada have never beaten Romania in Romania. It was a close enough game, but Canada had 250 caps on the field. We all know to win a Test match, you don’t do it with 250 caps.
"They’re real challenges and you learn about being really positive. It’s got to be enjoyable. I didn’t used to like saying that, but it has. The cultural side of things and building teams is important. We’ve got a really good team which play for each other.
"The last thing I take away is how important pathways are. Any national team job, the pathway and development leagues are crucial below it. When we played Wales in 2021, we had players who hadn’t played a game of rugby for 14 months. Not even a Test match, just a game of rugby.
"There were nine players who had only played university rugby before that game against Wales. Italy have done a great thing with the pathway. With Russia, we had a lot of players from the same group. It’s not a new thing. Chile have done it, with their South American league. A lot of those players play together for four months of the year."
The days of Canada having a strong backbone of European-based players, like DTH van der Merwe, Jamie Cudmore and Evan Olmstead are gone. Jones says it's down to the quotas on homegrown players in England and France.
There's still the odd French-based player, like former Ospreys lock Tyler Ardron, but the pressures of keeping a contract in France means they are not always available for selection.
"Qualifying for the 2019 World Cup was an achievement in itself," adds Jones. "I came in and it was a challenge for 14 months. I centralised a group of players for six months.
"I arranged fixtures with Castres and Clermont. For the repechage, I brought in the 10 players from Europe. The gulf between those two sets of players when I came in was crazy.
"They were playing club rugby on the island as amateurs, having time off work. Historically, they’ve been able to place players in Europe and that’s becoming more and more difficult. About 10 years ago, Canada decided to invest in the 7s. In 2019, some of the top players were committed to playing in the 7s and weren’t available.
"I probably wouldn’t have re-signed in 2019 if it wasn’t for the MLR. These players needed minutes and I couldn’t see any light at the end of the tunnel. Of course, I didn’t know how the MLR would pan out.
"Toronto Arrows went bankrupt. I worked closely with them. They weren’t the most successful team either. They struggled, but at least it was a daily training environment. After that, some players went back to teaching or whatever. In the last 10 years, overseas placement has died down."
Even now, as his role with Canada winds down, Jones is still trying to find members of his squad chances for regular minutes. "There’s lot of challenges, but lots of positives," he adds. "These guys really work hard.
"They’re diligent and the more time you get with them, the more you see them improve. There’s some incredible athletes. The people in the organisation are great. Working alongside the women’s programme, I’ve learned so much from that.
"I’ve been involved in the pathway and the 20s programme. The pathway scenario is good. There’s alignment now from 18s onwards. The biggest challenge is having time with the players and getting them exposure to high level rugby."
Of course, missing out on the World Cup in 2023 - the first time the Canadian national team had missed out on the tournament in their history - is a blot on the copybook however you look at it. However, Jones is philosophical about the realities of that particular failure.
"It was a huge blow not to achieve it," he explains. "A lot was written about it as a failure, but from where I’m sitting, I couldn’t have done anymore.
"We had two coaches because of Covid. Me and Rob Howley were coaching the whole team. We had two preparation games in July - England and Wales - and some of the players hadn't really played before that.
"We beat the US at home by 37 points. First time we’d beaten them in eight years. But we lost overall. Then we played Chile and lost overall. They had their house in order.
"They’d been in a bubble and had played a ton of games together for three months. The other thing that gets missed is that Canada always had another bite at the cherry. We could play USA and lose, play the bottom of PNC and lose, lose to Chile and then play repechage.
"We didn’t have that in 2021. It was a shootout against the USA and then a shootout against Chile. We weren’t prepared enough. That’s on me as the head coach, but the circumstances having me coaching the forwards, defence and breakdown. When you look at our preparation, it wasn’t good enough.
"We couldn’t get fixtures. It was exceptional circumstances. We didn’t have our house in order. Uruguay and Chile had their houses in order. They managed to play fixtures and had better preparation. The impact was big, as it was the first time Canada hadn’t been to a World Cup. It was a chance to reset and learn. You’ve got to get the preparation right."
Even with the signal disrupting the Zoom call a fair bit, it's clear from the view behind him that Jones' set-up on Vancouver Island is idyllic, even if it can lead to some confusion.
"It’s a good place to live, but it’s pretty quiet here," he says. "You don’t realise how lucky you are to go watch a rugby match or whatever when you want.
"I live on Vancouver Island, just a little bit up from Victoria. My mates text me saying they’re in Vancouver. It’s a half-hour flight! That’s the size of the country."
The culture has proved beneficial, with Jones grateful of the work/life balance over there. "Guys go out fishing and hunting. There’s guys going out in the mountains riding dirt bikes. Guys go surfing. It’s just different.
"The social side of things is so different. It suits me. It’s taught me to sharpen the saw. I’ve never been able to switch off. Rugby is my life, but it has taught me that sometimes you’ve got to take time out. I’ve just been skiing for three days. That’s taught me a lot, rather than spending all day thinking about rugby."
Now, with a bit more time on his hands to think about what's next, perhaps a return to Wales could be on the cards.
"I miss the people," he adds. "It’s a bit cheesy to say it. I miss characters and friends. That word hiraeth is true.
"All the while I’ve been here, I’ve bought into it and tried to become Canadian. I’ve settled here and the kids have too, but in the back of my mind, it’s always been when are we going back. It’ll be eight years by the time I leave here.
"I missed the Six Nations so I started going back every February and March for a fix. That helped with missing home. Once you’re home for a few weeks, you want to go back to Canada then!
"I’ve still got a house back in Wales. It’s a bit of an anchor that pulls us back a bit. We miss the UK. It’s something I’d look to do if the right opportunity comes.
"But if the right opportunity comes elsewhere, I’d consider any of them. It’s got to be something that gets me excited. There’s no plan right now. I’ll be here until June probably. I’m waiting to see what comes up and make the right move."
