Jones is the 'leading' Lion
Sun, 13 Apr 2008 23:23
Leading Lion: Ospreys captain Ryan Jones
Ospreys coach Lyn Jones hailed captain Ryan Jones as the outstanding candidate to follow in Martin Johnson's shoes and lead the Lions on the 2009 tour to South Africa.
Johnson led the victorious 1997 tourists and Jones, the dynamic Wales Grand Slam skipper, is fast emerging as the strong favourite to lead next year's assault on the World Cup holders.
Lyn Jones hailed his skipper's influence as the Ospreys buried the disappointment of last weekend's shock Heineken Cup defeat to Saracens to lift the EDF Energy Cup with a comprehensive 23-6 victory over Leicester.
Andrew Bishop and Alun-Wyn Jones scored either side of half-time and James Hook kicked 13 points in a comprehensive performance.
The back row trio of Marty Holah, Filo Tiatia and Jones controlled the game against a Leicester side who were comprehensively outplayed in a reverse of last year's Final.
"I thought Ryan Jones' captaincy was fantastic. It was a big decision to make Ryan captain this year because Duncan Jones did so well," said Jones.
"I felt his personality was spot on for captaincy. This weekend he took Martin Corry on at the captaincy role and I thought he edged it.
"For me, Ryan Jones is already captain of the Lions for next year.
"Ryan is a leader on the field. His performances are exemplary. He is hard on himself, he is hard on everybody else. He demands high standards.
"He is not a lover, he is a leader. He is not a manager, he is a leader. He won't go missing next year in South Africa."
The Ospreys became the first Welsh side to win the EDF Energy Cup and Lyn Jones is convinced it is the first step to establishing the region as one of Europe's powerhouses.
"Adam Jones was the oldest player in the front five at 27. James Hook is only 22," he said.
"They will have a lot of bad experiences to come and we will have to suffer them before we really do hit it.
"We realised some potential this weekend but there is still a lot of growth here. We are ambitious. We are realistic what we can achieve here but it is one experience at a time."
With thanks to edfenergycup.com
