Ospreys' coach Jones enjoys the pressure

Jan 12 2008 by Simon Thomas, Western Mail

LYN JONES insists he’s not feeling the pressure as he heads into arguably the biggest game of his coaching career.

Defeat for his Ospreys at home to Gloucester this evening would end their Heineken hopes and come as a major blow to the hugely ambitious region.

In turn, that would inevitably lead to questions being asked about Jones’ future as head coach at the Liberty Stadium.

The former Wales flanker has been at the helm since the inception of the Ospreys in 2003 and has enjoyed his fair share of success along the way, twice claiming the Celtic League title.

But the holy grail of European glory has eluded him, with the region failing to progress beyond the group stages of the Heineken Cup.

If they miss out on a quarter-final place once again this year, the consequences for Jones could be dire.

On paper, never before has a Welsh team been better equipped to go all the way in Europe, such is the star-studded nature of their squad.

This led to huge expectation going into the tournament, but that potential has yet to be fulfilled, with the Ospreys trailing Gloucester by six points.

They have also come in for heavy flak for their style of play, with former Wales skipper Gwyn Jones delivering a damning dissection of their attacking deficiencies on Scrum V last weekend.

So the heat is on and the knives will really be out if the Ospreys come up short tonight.

Yet Jones appears to be taking it all in his stride and is adamant that the focus on his team is actually working in their favour.

“I don’t feel under any greater pressure personally,” he said.

“Every game is a must-win situation for us. The way the Ospreys have developed, people want us to be under pressure every week.

“As a group of players and coaches, we enjoy the pressure. We’ve tended to thrive on it. It’s really pulled us tight together and given us a focus to ensure we achieve what we want.”

As for the brickbats aimed in his direction, he said, “I don’t really take much notice of the criticism.

“It’s something that’s part and parcel of our job really.

“People in the media need to react from week to week. As coaches, we have to plan long-term.

“You are going to get your ups and downs through the season and, if we reacted to everything that went on, then we would be a shambles very, very quickly.”

Jones’ right-hand man Sean Holley agrees that the criticism aimed at the Ospreys has made them closer as a unit.

“We are at a stage now where we have a hugely competitive squad, with a lot of experience,” said the backs coach.

“The weight of expectation increases year on year and we are all aware of that.

“We are working hard, we are as tight as we can be and we want to do as well as we can.”

The Ospreys have received a timely boost with the return of Wales centres Gavin Henson and Sonny Parker from injury lay-offs, while Shane Williams is also back.

Winger Williams, who has been working hard in rehab to cope with an on-going knee problem, said, “It’s a massive game for us.

“It’s do-or-die as far as we are concerned. It’s probably one of the most important matches I’ve played for the Ospreys and it’s massively important that we win it.

“It would be great to reach the quarter-finals. We’ve come close in the past, but it is something we feel we are good enough to do.

“Of course it’s a massive test for us, but we’ve certainly got the capability in the squad to win this weekend and progress in this tournament.”

The Ospreys lost 26-18 at Gloucester in November despite dominating the first half and Jones admits that result was a bitter pill to swallow.

“There was total devastation afterwards from everybody,” he said.

“But that’s behind us now. That was then and we need to move on.

“We are a better team now than we were then. We really have developed into a far more confident footballing side since that night at Kingsholm.

“We are very good in Wales at talking ourselves down and talking our confidence down.

“But we’ve got a lot of good quality players and are a far more mature side than we’ve ever been.

“We are really looking forward to the game. We are all revved up and ready to go.”

Jones added, “Gloucester are having a golden season.

“They are a physical bunch up front and teams are finding it difficult to win games against them. So we totally appreciate the size and magnitude of what’s going to happen.

“We need to be as well prepared as we’ve ever been against the threats and dangers that they have to offer.

“It’s a huge game for us.

Matches such as this are what players and coaches aspire to and we have worked hard to get ourselves in this position.”

Victories over Gloucester and then away to Bourgoin next weekend would almost certainly secure the Ospreys a last-eight spot as one of the two best group runners-up.

“We know we need two wins, it’s as simple as that,” said Jones.

“Looking at how the group has panned out, if you had a pound, you’d have to put your money on Gloucester to nip it.

“But if we get to 21 points, we are fairly confident that we would get through.”

Jones has chosen to leave Wales stars Mike Phillips, Jonathan Thomas and Ian Evans on the bench, with Justin Marshall getting the nod over Phillips at scrum-half, fit-again Ryan Jones skippering the side from the blindside flank and Ian Gough starting at lock.

“We’ve had difficult selection decisions in some positions, but that also gives us great strength coming off the bench for the latter stages of what I am sure will be a very physical encounter,” said Jones.

“It’s a massive weekend for us. It's going to define this tournament for us.

“The players are really excited and really looking forward to the challenge.

“This is what we play professional rugby for.

“We have to make sure our tactics are right and Lady Luck looks down on us.”

More than 15,000 tickets have been sold for the Pool 2 clash and Jones is urging the home fans to make their presence felt.

“Small things will determine who gains the spoils and, with Gloucester bringing a large contingent of vocal supporters from the West Country, it is vital they are matched by a vocal Liberty Stadium crowd,” he said.

“The response from our supporters has been fantastic and it is set to be a packed house. It should be an occasion for all to savour.”