By Dragons' Den
June 3 2011

Dragons’ Den doesn’t often go around quoting Shirley Bassey lyrics. Nothing against the songstress from Tiger Bay but she really isn’t our usual choice of listening however the new coaching arrangements for the London Welsh 1st XV brought this particular song to mind. Cast your mind back to October 2008, the setting is Eugene Cross Park and some familiar names crop up.

Miss Bassey couldn’t have summed up the current situation any better:

.. and I've seen it before
.. and I'll see it again
.. yes I've seen it before
.. just little bits of history repeating

The new coaching structure at London Welsh is due to be announced next week. The choice of Head Coach has long been hinted at on the Dragons’ Den forum but many will be surprised at the appointment of the new Director of Rugby.

Steve Lewis is an Economist by profession, a former WRU CEO and former WRU General Manager but in 2008 he was Director of Rugby at Ebbw Vale. A vacancy arose at Ebbw Vale for Head Coach and in October of that year Lewis appointed Lyn Jones to the post on a consultancy basis. The new structure at London Welsh will see an almost identical repeat of this with Lewis becoming Director with responsibility for all playing aspects and Lyn Jones reporting to him as Head Coach. After Steve Lewis’ arrival at ODP last season it was evident that his role within London Welsh would grow and we look at the careers of both these new appointments and the ongoing link between them.

Steve Lewis became WRU General Manager in 2003 and was then promoted to WRU Chief Executive. His time at the WRU coincided with some of the Union’s worst off-field moments of the last decade with the collapse of Celtic Warriors and the Ruddock-gate incident both occurring during his reign. In June 2006 Roger Lewis was appointed as WRU Group Chief Executive and within a couple of months Steve Lewis was one of two high profile names to step down from their role. At the time Steve Lewis was said to be "considering a number of rugby-related opportunities". Unfortunately for him not all of the plans worked out and these further opportunities included being part of a failed bid to take over Dragons and an unsuccessful attempt to gain a place on the WRU Board. Lewis did take up the Director of Rugby post at Ebbw Vale but at the end of the 2009/10 season this position was scrapped. Early in the 2010/11 season he appeared at London Welsh where Rob, one of sons, was playing and soon was working for the club on a part-time basis. By November Rob’s twin brother James had also made the move to Old Deer Park, the family reunited at a single club exactly as they had been at Ebbw Vale a couple of seasons earlier. With Phil Greening having left ‘by mutual consent’ Dragons’ Den understands that Steve Lewis took on responsibility for the recruitment of players for the 2011/12 season.

In October 2008 Steve Lewis appointed Lyn Jones as a consultant Head Coach at Ebbw Vale but Jones didn’t stay long. In Jan 2009 he moved to Newport Gwent Dragons signing an 18 month agreement but within a month it was announced that this agreement would be terminated at the end of that season. A move to Abu Dhabi followed where Jones became rugby coach at an international school on a two year contract which expires this summer. He had made his desire to return to the UK clear and earlier this year was linked with the vacancy at Dragons as successor to Paul Turner but was beaten to the job by former London Welsh scrum half Darren Edwards. Jones’ time with the Dragons was not his first foray into coaching at regional level. He coached Ospreys from 2003-2008 during which time his team won the EDF trophy and two Magners League titles. He left ‘by mutual consent’ at the end of the 2007/08 season. 

Lyn Jones clearly holds the Lewis family in high regard. At the time of his appointment at Ebbw Vale he was quoted as saying "Ebbw Vale have players of true regional potential in James and Robert Lewis and a crop of potential Under 20 internationals”. He also spoke in praise of Steve Lewis when a vacancy arose for Chief Executive at Scarlets: "I'm sure Steve, for example, would really take over Stuart's [Gallacher] reins and do a fantastic job with the experience he's got …and who's to say that someone like Steve Lewis, who's done a great job with the Welsh Rugby Union in the past could put his hat in the ring and receive a phone call?" Jones’ loyalty seems now to have been repaid.

With such long-term links between the new Director of Rugby and his Head Coach we should expect to see a strong working relationship between the two. Only time will tell whether this transfers to success on the field.

Steve Lewis	Lyn Jones