Hembrow succeeds Dai Rees as Newport coach

Ex-Maesteg skipper Hembrow succeeds Dai Rees, who is expected to take on a full time role with Newport Gwent Dragons.

Rees, who is also the Wales Sevens coach, is understood to be on the five-man shortlist to become Wales' next senior coach.

The top job seems out of his reach, but he has been touted as a possible skills coach in the new national set-up.

That would be the role performed by Scott Johnson before he succeeded Mike Ruddock in the middle of the Six Nations.

Certain members of the Welsh Rugby Union management board are thought to favour a new coaching team with Phil Davies as the head and Rees and Dai Young as his assistants.

There could also be a role for Wales Under-19 coach Justin Burnell in such a set-up.

Gareth Jenkins is seen as the people's choice, with only the Scarlets director of rugby and Davies regarded as serious contenders for the top job.

Other names on the shortlist are thought to be Ospreys coach Lyn Jones and national defence coach Clive Griffiths.

Griffiths has had his current contract extended to take in Wales' summer tour of Argentina and could be the caretaker coach for that trip.

But the WRU hope to have named the long-term successor before June's two-Test series.

Their five-man panel chosen to lead the search for the new national coach consists of chief executive Steve Lewis, chairman David Pickering, high-performance manager Mostyn Richards, and board members Alan Jones and Gerald Davies.

But the full 17-man WRU board will be charged with making the final decision.