News

Ospreys' decision no great shock

May 19 2008

Former Wales and Ospreys second row Brent Cockbain has said Lyn Jones' departure from the Ospreys doesn't come as a surprise.

The EDF Energy Cup winners announced on Friday that Jones would be leaving his post "by mutual consent", having led the Welsh region since its 2003 inception.

"It's been on the cards for a little while," Cockbain, who left the Ospreys to join Sale in December, told BBC Sport.

"There's been pressure the last few seasons with the Ospreys not doing as well... given the resources and staff."

The Ospreys won the EDF Energy Cup earlier this season, beating Leicester in the final to reverse last season's final defeat, but that aside have underachieved largely.

The Magners League campaign, where they finished seventh, saw the Ospreys victims of their own success as they provided the bulk of Wales' Grand Slam-winning side.

But the big-spenders were at full strength for the Heineken Cup and installed as one of the favourites.

The Ospreys should have topped their pool and secured home advantage but let slip their early dominance in a crucial game at Kingsholm, losing to Gloucester and handing the Cherry and Whites top spot.

Even then the Ospreys should have claimed a place in the semi-finals, needing to win at Saracens - a team they had soundly beaten two weeks before in the EDF semi-final - but being out-foxed at Vicarage Road in the quarter-final.

"Most people agree that if it was soccer then the manager would have been sacked long before this," Cockbain added.

"But he's a very good technical coach, it's very difficult being a coach because you've always got to try and manage people."

Cockbain believes that a new coach is needed to energise the Ospreys, with former Wales coaches Steve Hansen and Scott Johnson believed to be two names in the frame.

The pair worked closely in the national set-up with new Ospreys elite performance director Andrew Hore, who is tasked with finding Jones' successor.

"For rugby in particular it's good and it's healthy to have someone come in, change the guard after three or four years in a coaching job and then move on," Cockbain said.

"With a changing of the guard we might see a similar thing that happened to Wales with Gareth Jenkins leaving and Warren Gatland taking over.

"There's all the rumours about Scott Johnson and Steve Hansen because of the Andrew Hore connection."