FORMER Wales rugby international Mark Jones has died suddenly at the age of 59.
Wales Rugby League said Jones suffered a heart attack while training at a gym in the Middle East.
Mark Jones/Media WalesFormer Wales No 8 Mark Jones has died at the age of 59[/caption]
The former dual-code international played 15 times for Wales’ rugby union team, while he also featured 11 times for his nation’s league team – also winning one cap for Great Britain in the 13-a-side.
During his playing days for Neath and Ebbw Vale in union, as well as Hull FC and Warrington, Jones was known for his brutal physicality.
Neath said news of the death of their former player had left the club “heartbroken” and paid tribute to “a real force of nature”.
The WRL said in a statement that Jones, who also played once for Great Britain, tragically passed away in Abu Dhabi on Thursday.
Wales Online reports that Jones had been training in a gym in the country he has called home since moving there in 2005.
Speaking on behalf of the WRL in a statement, former coach Clive Griffiths said: “Scooby [Jones] was a giant in both codes.
“He was part and parcel of that great era of Welsh rugby league until rugby union went back professional in 1995.
“For me, it’s like losing one of the family. We’re so tight as a group, the team of 1995, and we’re always in touch. It’s difficult to explain the depth of feeling from that group of players right now.”
Jones made his union debut against Scotland at Murrayfield in March 1987, aged just 21, scoring a late try on debut in a 21-15 defeat.
He played union for Wales between 1987 and 1990 before switching to rugby league with Hull in 1990.
AlamyJones appeared for Wales in both codes during his playing career[/caption]
After that, he suffered a series of ankle injuries that initially limited his time on the pitch for Hull.
He was part of a Welsh exodus as players from the amateur union game flocked to the professional code .
Jones eventually won 11 caps in the 13-man game, including two during a famous 1995 World Cup campaign where Wales reached the semi-finals.
After four years with Hull, featuring at prop and second row, Jones joined Warrington for a season before returning to union with Ebbw Vale.
During his career, he was sent off six times and banned for over 33 weeks for violent conduct.
After retiring in 2005, he coached before moving to Qatar to work as a lab technician at the Abu Dhabi international school.
“Everybody loved him as a man first and foremost. I recently read his book and it’s just so interesting to read about his life.”
And tributes have immediately started to flood in.
One rugby fan wrote: “Far too young. Condolences to his family.”
Another said: “One of the all time great Welsh players. RIP .”
Jones also dealt with a stammer, which he admitted after retiring led to him being filled with “self-loathing and hate” – resulting in doing, as he put it, “a lot of bad things” on the field.
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