Dragons get their man (From South Wales Argus)

Dragons get their man

11:10am Wednesday 17th June 2009

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NEWPORT Gwent Dragons have appointed Welshman Darren Edwards as Lyn Jones’ successor after the ex-Ospreys coach left for an appointment at an Abu Dhabi school.

A former Newport scrum-half, the Maesteg-born Edwards takes up the role of attack coach at Rodney Parade.

The Argus exclusively revealed last Thursday that he was in the running for the post along with Australian coach Jim McKay, who is on the books of Leicester, but it is Edwards who gets the job.

Part of the Wales Under-18s coaching team, the 35-year-old joins from Harlequins where he has coached since retiring from playing in 2008.

Edwards began his senior playing career with Saracens in 1996 and joined Newport in 2000, playing 21 times for the club.

He also represented London Irish – for whom he made more than 100 appearances – Bedford and London Welsh before ending at Leeds Carnegie and hanging up his boots last year.

A member of the 2003 Wales squad, he won representative honours with Wales A, Sevens, Under 21, Students and Under 18 and also played for the Barbarians against England, Scotland and Wales.

Edwards said: “After 13 years in professional rugby with 12 of it in England it is a great opportunity to return to Welsh rugby.

“I feel I can have a positive impact at Rodney Parade through my experiences of playing and coaching at the top level in the Guinness Premiership.

“I enjoyed my season with Newport with one of my stand-out memories playing Bath in the Heineken Cup on a Friday night at Rodney Parade with an electric atmosphere.

“It is a great place to play where the fans and their support make a difference to the players on the pitch.

“There is a lot of exciting young talent at the Dragons. It’s all about nurturing the talent and as a young coach I feel I understand how to identify and get the best out of these young players.

“I think coaching has changed over the years and today it is much more about developing players to give them confidence to perform to their full potential.

“Having been a player-coach for two seasons at Leeds before joining Harlequins, I was able to get a smooth transition from playing into coaching and I’m looking forward to joining the coaching team at the Dragons and developing a successful team.”

His appointment reunites him with former half-back partner in Dragons head coach Paul Turner.

“I have known Darren since his early days at Saracens when he partnered me in the half-backs at Bedford,” said Turner. “He went on to be a key player in a very good London Irish side and has a strong understanding of the game.”

l Meanwhile, three sides from the Heineken Cup will enjoy a second stab at European rugby next season under new rules for the European Challenge Cup. The third, fourth and fifth-ranked Heineken Cup group runners-up will be away sides in the quarter-finals.

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