Ospreys CEO Lance Bradley insists Mark Jones is the right coach to take the Ospreysforward and is adamant the move to St Helen's will be "transformational" for the club.
The Ospreys decided to part ways with head coach Toby Booth in the wake of last weekend's record 59-15 thrashing by Montpellier in the Challenge Cup. This was always going to be Booth's last season in Wales with the club announcing before the campaign began that defence coach Jones would be his replacement.
But following a disappointing start to the term the club decided to part ways with midway through the season. Despite Booth turning the Ospreys into a competitive outfit once again, Bradley is confident the right decision has been made.
"It was always going to be challenging to have this transition year but we felt it was the best thing for the club that we brought forward a decision we'd already made to appoint Mark as head coach," Bradley told WalesOnline. "We do think that will have a positive impact on the rest of the season.
"I know Mark worked very closely with Toby and Toby did a super job for us. We'll never forget the way he turned things around from what he found to what he left.
"He is and always will be welcome at the Ospreys but we are now looking forward to the new era under Mark. Mark has got a huge amount of very relevant experience in lots of different environments and I think it's a positive to have that breadth of experience.
"He's got a lot of contacts in the rugby world, from people he's worked with who he is still in touch with, which helps. I think he's a very talented coach.
"He's made a huge difference to our defence since he's arrived at the club. I think he'll be able to build on that and take us forward to where we want to go over the next three to five years."
Ospreys CEO Lance Bradley insists Mark Jones is the right coach to take the Ospreys forward and is adamant the move to St Helen's will be "transformational" for the club.
The Ospreys decided to part ways with head coach Toby Booth in the wake of last weekend's record 59-15 thrashing by Montpellier in the Challenge Cup. This was always going to be Booth's last season in Wales with the club announcing before the campaign began that defence coach Jones would be his replacement.
But following a disappointing start to the term the club decided to part ways with midway through the season. Despite Booth turning the Ospreys into a competitive outfit once again, Bradley is confident the right decision has been made.
"It was always going to be challenging to have this transition year but we felt it was the best thing for the club that we brought forward a decision we'd already made to appoint Mark as head coach," Bradley told WalesOnline. "We do think that will have a positive impact on the rest of the season.
"I know Mark worked very closely with Toby and Toby did a super job for us. We'll never forget the way he turned things around from what he found to what he left.
"He is and always will be welcome at the Ospreys but we are now looking forward to the new era under Mark. Mark has got a huge amount of very relevant experience in lots of different environments and I think it's a positive to have that breadth of experience.
"He's got a lot of contacts in the rugby world, from people he's worked with who he is still in touch with, which helps. I think he's a very talented coach.
"He's made a huge difference to our defence since he's arrived at the club. I think he'll be able to build on that and take us forward to where we want to go over the next three to five years."