Mark Jones to leave Scarlets at end of season

Former Scarlets and Wales winger Mark Jones, who has given over 15 years service to the club and region as both player and coach will move on from his current role as Attack Coach at the end of the season.

Born and raised in Builth Wells, Mark Jones joined Llanelli RFC in 1997 after having played rugby for his hometown club and for Llandovery RFC, where he became the Welsh league's highest try-scorer. He made his debut for Llanelli against Glasgow in 1999 and soon established himself as a favourite at Stradey Park. The following season he scored 13 tries in 14 appearances for the club.

As a player, Jones made 163 appearances for Llanelli RFC and the Scarlets over 12 seasons, scoring a total of 85 tries. He was involved in the Scarlets' memorable Heineken Cup campaigns of the early 2000s, in which the club narrowly missed out on reaching the final.

Jones represented Wales U16, U18, U20 and senior sides. He made his Wales debut as a replacement against England in a Six Nations match in 2001 and went on to win 47 caps for his country, playing at the Rugby World Cup in 2003 and 2007 and he was part of the Grand Slam winning side of 2008. Jones scored 13 tries for Wales.

In 2009-10 Mark Jones was named captain of the Scarlets, in what turned out to be his last season of rugby, as he was forced to retire through injury in August 2010. Following his retirement Jones was named as Scarlets Skills Coach and later Attack Coach. In 2012 he was rewarded for his hard work with a call up into the Wales backroom staff to assist Caretaker Coach Rob Howley during the Autumn Series, as well as the 2013 Six Nations, in which Wales retained their title, and the Summer Tour to Japan.

Commenting on the move career Scarlet Mark Jones said: "The Scarlets has been a huge part of my life and I'm thankful for the opportunities and experiences I've had over the years.

"I'd like to thank the players that I've worked alongside over the years, as both a player and a coach and particularly owe my thanks to Gareth (Jenkins) and Nigel (Davies) who allowed me to play for, captain and coach the club. There are a countless number of backroom staff to thank who've shared this journey with me over the years, too many to name, but have all played their part in some way.

"There have been a number of highlights over the years. As a player I'd have to say that the Heineken Cup journeys - and getting so close on a few occasions - ranks highly and were extremely enjoyable moments in my career.

"As a coach it has been an honour and a privilege to play my part in helping develop players and see them achieve their dreams of playing for Wales and even the British & Irish Lions. I'd like to wish the players all the very best in their careers from now on; the Scarlets are in safe hands with the continuous development of young talented local players.

"The Scarlets has been the biggest part of my life but I feel that the time is right to further challenge myself, both personally and professionally, and I'm excited by the future and looking forward to the next chapter.

"Finally I'd like to thank my family for allowing me to give my time to the Scarlets for the 17 years that I've been with the club; without their support and understanding throughout none of this would have been possible."

Scarlets Chairman Nigel Short said: "Mark has been a great servant to the region for 17 years giving his all as a formidable back-three player before taking on a more senior role within the coaching group.

"We are grateful for all the work that he has done for the Scarlets and for his commitment and loyalty to us and wish him all the best for the future."