Jones out to unite attack game with Newcastle DNA

Former Wales fly-half Stephen Jones wants to combine his own attacking philosophies with the Newcastle ethos as he begins his spell as head coach of the Red Bulls.

Jones has taken on the role at Newcastle until the end of the season following the departure of Alan Dickens earlier this week.

It is a first head coach role for a player who won 104 caps for his country and played in six Tests for the British and Irish Lions.

Having been an attack coach for more than a decade since his retirement as a player, Jones is ready for this new post.

"You come in as a coach with ideas and concepts, the way you want to play the game, but ultimately it's about appreciating what is in place and how you evolve and grow certain aspects," he told BBC Sport.

"The most important thing is the DNA of the club. It's up to me as coach to fully understand and appreciate that, how our style of play is reflective of that and make sure we're fully aligned in the club from top to bottom."

Jones has said he will not be Newcastle's head coach beyond the end of this season, but he has been involved in conversations surrounding the Red Bulls' extensive player recruitment.

With eight Prem games left to play, plus a Challenge Cup last-16 tie with La Rochelle, there is still a significant chunk of this season to go, with Jones keen to progress things forward for whoever gets the job next season.

"There's a lot of rugby to be played and the better half in terms of the weather," he said.

"From our perspective, if we can have some good ball movement, the lion's share of possession, ask questions of defences and keep evolving ourselves, keep on changing habits and growing this group, then it bodes well for next season."

Jones' most recent coaching post before his switch to Kingston Park was with Moana Pasifika in Super Rugby after a long spell as attack coach with Wales.

But he is now back in the Prem after a decade away, having worked at Wasps in his first foray into coaching.

He returns to find a competition that has become far more attacking, with Jones' first opponents, leaders Northampton Saints, a perfect example. They are averaging 39 points per game in the Prem this season.

And on the back of a Six Nations which saw a record number of tries - 111 in 15 matches - the former number 10 explained how the game has evolved.

"We really have got a good product at the moment," he said. "Look at the Saints for example. They move a lot of ball, score a lot of points, it truly is a 15-man game.

"The ball in play has increased a lot, it's good to watch. Defence can still fight the contact area and if you're still dominant there, it can have a big impact on the game, so the balance is pretty good.

"The tackle height is a big one and that means people have a chance to offload. If you can free your arms and get the offload in and get in behind defences, you don't give them much time to recover."