Three Wales internationals go for a job. It’s not the set-up to a joke, but rather how Steve Tandy landed upon Paul James as his new scrum coach.
Others might well have applied, but it always seemed like a three-way battle amongst men who, between them, had amassed 218 caps for their country. Adam Jones, Duncan Jones and James.
Three props, all with fine careers for Wales. All having spent some part of the last 18 months involved in Wales’ coaching group on a temporary basis.
Adam Jones was there for the 2025 Six Nations, as well as the following summer tour of Japan. His ‘hear bear’ namesake Duncan Jones was then brought in for the autumn campaign under Tandy, before returning for this year’s Six Nations.
However, a freak injury in training opened the door for James – with the Ospreys U18s coach making a strong impact during the campaign.
Under the two Jones’, Wales’ scrum had been decent enough in 2025.
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According to Opta, only the Springboks won more ball on opposition feed than Wales last year.
Four Tier One nations – South Africa, England, Italy and New Zealand – had a better percentage of scrum penalties on their own feed.
Then, under James’ eye, Wales’ scrum went well in the Six Nations.
Statistically, they had a better percentage on not just their own feed, but opposition feeds, than France, Scotland and Ireland.
Only England and Italy – with the former boasting an impressively dominant scrum – bettered Wales.
With Tomas Francis back at tighthead to anchor the set-piece, that certainly helped.
Prior to the Six Nations, sources told WalesOnline that there was supposedly little time spent on the scrum at the start of camps.
But, the word was that James had proven very popular with players. Clearly, he made an impact.
All three, then, would seemingly have had a strong case to make when it came to interviewing with the Welsh Rugby Union.
Of course, all three are coaches with their own view of the scrum. Ask anyone who has played under them and they’d likely tell you they all view the scrum in slightly different ways.
In recent weeks, sources suggested that Duncan Jones was perhaps lagging a little behind following the interviews – leaving the race seemingly between James and Adam Jones.
As for Adam Jones, the suggestion is that Harlequins wouldn’t stand in the way of him taking a job with Wales.
Whereas Danny Wilson’s departure last year seemed to cause a stir with CEO Laurie Dalrymple, there didn’t seem to be the same hurdles to clear.
Had Wales looked to perhaps their greatest ever tighthead, it’s hard to believe the Gallagher Prem club would have offered any sticking points.
James was Tandy’s man, however.
The initial talk was that the successful candidate was supposed to be told a couple of weeks prior to Wales’ announcement on Friday.
However, that date came and went without any contact from the WRU.
The search for kicking and attacking skills coaches remains ongoing.
But, after a month or so of searching, the WRU have a full-time scrum coach – someone who will not just focus on the national team, but work right through the production line in order to make Wales stronger for years to come.
Will Collier, the former England prop who worked under Jones at Harlequins, noted earlier in the year that Wales’ scrum can “look solid one week and creaky the next”.
Over the past year, under the two Jones’ and James, there’s been some steps forward taken.
Now, with James in the role all by himself, it’ll be interesting to see what identity Wales forge in that area.
In recent years, Wales have been a little submissive in that area of the game. There’s been a lot of talk about getting pictures right for referees, rather than just trusting the actions on the field.
Thankfully, with Nicky Smith back in the Test fold – given few players can earn scrum penalties as readily as the loosehead – that’s already begun to change.
Perhaps, when it came down to it, convincing Tandy that there’s further strides to be made there could be what got James the nod over the two Jones’.
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