Wales fly-half Stephen Jones committed to Scarlets

British and Irish Lions fly-half Stephen Jones wants the rest of his playing career with Llanelli Scarlets.

The Wales star, 32, has been associated with his home club since his debut in 1996 and is in his second spell at the Scarlets after two years in France.

Jones has been linked with a move away as he is out of contract in the summer.

But Jones told BBC Sport: "I don't know how many playing days I've got left in me, but there's more than a good chance they'll be at Parc y Scarlets!"

Jones is a talismanic figure at the Scarlets as the experienced number 10, arguably the best fly-half in the northern hemisphere, is helping guide his young team through a transitional period.

The Scarlets' leading points-scorer and Wales' double Grand Slam winner has been linked with a big-money return to France, where he spent two seasons with Clermont Auvergne between 2004 and 2006.

In recent season the Scarlets, Welsh club rugby's traditional flag-bearers in Europe, have struggled.

And the west Walians currently sit second from bottom in this season's Magners League table and are unlikely to get beyond the Heineken Cup pool stage.

But Jones has huge emotional ties with the Scarlets, where he graduated through Llanelli's youth system, has committed his future to the Parc y Scarlets region.

"They way I look at things at the moment is 'OK, we're in transition'.

"We've got good youngsters who want to be successful with a good work ethic, they make the working week enjoyable."

"The club have been very good to me the way they've managed me, especially in the period where I came back from the Lions," added Jones, who started all three Tests in the 2-1 series loss in South Africa last summer.

"They realise I'm a bit older now, a few more miles on the clock, so the club are good to me in the way they construct my working week."

"I'll try and prepare and train smartly to obtain that. That would be my goal and that's what I'd like to get to.

"I'd have to assess things then, but obviously I'd be a lot older. I will see how the body is and more importantly the mind - if I'm enjoying it I might look to play on, it's all about enjoyment."

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Wales fly-half Stephen Jones committed to Scarlets

British and Irish Lions fly-half Stephen Jones wants the rest of his playing career with Llanelli Scarlets.

The Wales star, 32, has been associated with his home club since his debut in 1996 and is in his second spell at the Scarlets after two years in France.

Jones has been linked with a move away as he is out of contract in the summer.

But Jones told BBC Sport: "I don't know how many playing days I've got left in me, but there's more than a good chance they'll be at Parc y Scarlets!"

Jones is a talismanic figure at the Scarlets as the experienced number 10, arguably the best fly-half in the northern hemisphere, is helping guide his young team through a transitional period.

The Scarlets' leading points-scorer and Wales' double Grand Slam winner has been linked with a big-money return to France, where he spent two seasons with Clermont Auvergne between 2004 and 2006.

In recent season the Scarlets, Welsh club rugby's traditional flag-bearers in Europe, have struggled.

And the west Walians currently sit second from bottom in this season's Magners League table and are unlikely to get beyond the Heineken Cup pool stage.

But Jones has huge emotional ties with the Scarlets, where he graduated through Llanelli's youth system, has committed his future to the Parc y Scarlets region.

"They way I look at things at the moment is 'OK, we're in transition'.

"We've got good youngsters who want to be successful with a good work ethic, they make the working week enjoyable."

"The club have been very good to me the way they've managed me, especially in the period where I came back from the Lions," added Jones, who started all three Tests in the 2-1 series loss in South Africa last summer.

"They realise I'm a bit older now, a few more miles on the clock, so the club are good to me in the way they construct my working week."

"I'll try and prepare and train smartly to obtain that. That would be my goal and that's what I'd like to get to.

"I'd have to assess things then, but obviously I'd be a lot older. I will see how the body is and more importantly the mind - if I'm enjoying it I might look to play on, it's all about enjoyment."

Rugby Hospitality: For this match sports hospitality is available form corporate hospitality group. Corporate hospitality introduce a variety of Corporate hospitality Packages. They provide 100% security and privacy to customer Information. You can reserve your rugby hospitality with confidance and with fear.


For upcoming sports information please visit Corporate Hospitality Events

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Rooney signs for Warriors

Worcester have moved to fill the vacancy that will be left by Chris Latham's departure later this year by signing former Australian rugby league star Luke Rooney.

Rooney, 26, will move to Sixways from French club Toulon, where he is currently a team-mate of England fly-half Jonny Wilkinson.

Rooney, who is English-qualified through his parents, has agreed a two-year contract with the Warriors, starting next term.

Latham, the second-highest try scorer in Australian Test rugby history, has decided not to take up a third-year option on his existing Worcester contract and will head home at the end of this season.

Rooney previously played for Penrith Panthers, helping them to the 2003 National Rugby League title when he scored two tries in the final against Sydney Roosters.

He switched codes and joined Toulon in 2008, and scored five tries in 16 games during his first season of Top 14 French Championship rugby.

He said: "I have been watching the competitive English league closely over the last few seasons, and I am really excited to now become a part of it.

"My long-term goal is to represent England - that has been a major motivating factor in my move to Warriors.

"I've really enjoyed my time in France with Toulon, both on and off the field, and would like to thank the fans and my team-mates for such a wonderful experience.

"The chance to switch to rugby union and test myself in a new environment has really seen my game move up to a new level and I know that will only continue with Worcester."

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It’s the right time to move from Glasgow to Cardiff, insists Dan Parks

What had become one of the worst-kept secrets in Scottish rugby finally came out into the open yesterday when both Glasgow and Cardiff Blues confirmed that Dan Parks, the Scotland fly half, will be moving to the Welsh capital in the summer.

At least, with the need for silence ended, Parks was able yesterday to issue a statement thanking the Glasgow fans for the backing they have given him in his seven-year career with the club, while David Young, the Blues director of rugby, could start to explain to his club’s supporters why he wanted Parks.

“He is a quality player who has often been the difference between the two teams and a real thorn in our side on a number of occasions,” Young said. “His organisational skills and game understanding makes him a real general on the pitch and he has excellent communication skills.

“His record as a goalkicker speaks for itself, but his distribution skills are also well recognised. He will certainly strengthen our options.”

For the player it is obviously going to be something of a wrench to leave the place he has called home since 2003.

“Glasgow has been my life for the past seven years,” Parks said. “It’s difficult to leave a place you’ve been for so long, but with so many young talented players coming through, it’s the right time. The Glasgow supporters have been fantastic and have really added to the enjoyment factor of playing rugby here over the years.”

When Young approached Parks, he must have assumed that he would be getting a player who would arrive unencumbered by international demands, but all that may have changed in the last couple of weeks, during which the 31-year-old Parks comprehensively outplayed Phil Godman, the present Scotland fly half, in both the derbies over the festive period while becoming the first player to pass 1,000 points in the Magners League.

Despite that, the change still makes sense for Glasgow. They see Ruaridh Jackson as the long-term future, though Sean Lineen, the head coach, spoke yesterday in glowing terms about the contribution Parks had made to the club. “He is a great lad who just loves playing rugby and has loved playing rugby for Glasgow,” he said.

“He will be missed, his enthusiasm has rubbed off on everyone. He has shown tremendous character to get through some difficult times and I wish him all the best — apart from in the games that we play against Cardiff.”

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Odds stacked against Laird and Ramsay stepping into the Ryder Cup breach

Just in case any reminding is needed, 2010 is a Ryder Cup year and in the run-up to Celtic Manor, Wales, in October, the biennial beanfeast will loom large at every tournament played on the European and PGA tours.

As Scotland’s stock in the professional golfing world has fallen alarmingly in recent years, not one of our tartan troops made it into Nick Faldo’s team that was defeated at Valhalla, Kentucky, in 2008. It was the first time in the modern era that even a single Scot had failed to make the grade and the chances are it will be the same story this time, even though a bright new horizon is beckoning for Scottish fortunes on the men’s tours after a spell in the doldrums.

Both have declared an ambition to make this year’s side. The Arizona-based Laird has even belatedly joined the European Tour as an affiliate member to make himself eligible just in case he bursts into the big time this season, starting this week in the SBS Championship in Hawaii. But both are realistic enough to recognise that their Ryder Cup 2010 debuts may be further in the future.

He also reckons the positive “can-do” attitude of Americans helped him against what he perceives as an all-pervading Scottish negativity that includes, perhaps, columns like this pointing out a couple of weeks ago that while the tee-to-green play of the European Tour Scots is among the best, the putting stats are grim.

Montgomerie has already made it clear that players in his side in all probability will have to be well inside the world’s top 50 to be considered and there are sound reasons for that. These are the players assured of starts in every world and major championship, the tournaments where the pressure is most comparable with the Ryder Cup 2010, where players will earn most points and have the chance to show their resilience.

As the SGU and the Professional Golfers’ Association in Scotland continue to ponder the dearth of top young players making the transition to successful tournament professionals, the answer may indeed lie in establishing a base in a warmer climate and recruiting a wide range of positive-thinking mentors that was the recommendation in the challenging No Limits report by Winning Scotland Foundation almost a year ago.

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Ryder Cup preparations ‘going well’ - council report

PREPARATIONS for this year’s Ryder Cup are progressing well, a report to councillors says.

City centre improvements, which are part of a £3.8 million revamp ahead of the October tournament, are already under way including work on the city’s war memorial and riverside walkways from the Riverfront Theatre to the footbridge.

A report to the council’s cabinet meeting next week says other projects including work to restore the Transporter Bridge, improvements to John Frost Square and work on key motorway routes at Tredegar Park Junction and the Coldra Roundabout are due to start this month.

A planning application for the park and ride at Usk Showground for Ryder Cup 2010 staff is due to be considered by Monmouthshire planning committee this month.

Park and Ride projects are on course to be completed on time with work at the Llanwern steelworks site and Tredegar House planned to start this month for completion in the summer.

Ryder Cup 2010 Wales reported that on-site infrastructure was progressing well with the bridge across the River Usk from Caerleon complete.

A schools education programme is being set up to get children involved in the event including golf themed literacy and maths exercises.

The council is also working to deliver opportunities for children and young people to participate in golf and funding has been allocated to support golf as a priority sport in Newport by the Sports Council for Wales.

All road closures associated with the tournament have been agreed and residents and businesses within the event exclusion zone in Catsash Road, Bulmore Road, Abernant Road, Belmont Hill, Royal Oak Hill have been contacted.

Preparations for the Newport 2010 Festival are also under way and will be unveiled at the launch on January 21.

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2010 is Ryder Cup year at Celtic Manor Resort

2010 promises to be an exciting year for golf as The Ryder Cup returns to Europe. The Celtic Manor Resort in the Usk Valley, South Wales plays host to this showpiece event and Four Communications will be working alongside US PR Agency Buffalo Communications in handling the press office in the UK.

Between 1 and 3 October 2010, the golfing elite of Europe and America go head-to-head in the sports premier team event on the purpose built Twenty Ten Course. This is the first course in history built to host The Ryder Cup 2010 and has been tailor made to challenge the best.

The Celtic Manor Resort is set in more than 1,400 acres of panoramic parkland at the gateway to Wales. With two hotels – a 330-room luxury Resort Hotel and the historic 19th century Manor House with 70 rooms – two exceptional spas, two luxury health clubs, a shooting school, fishing facilities, tennis courts, mountain biking, walking trails and five outstanding restaurants, The Celtic Manor Resort provides a complete experience for business, leisure and golf travellers as it gets ready to host The Ryder Cup 2010.

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