Tributes pour in

In the early hours of Sunday morning everyone associated with the club and Welsh rugby were shocked at the sudden death of our coach and our friend Steve ‘Juna’ Jones.

Juna was very well liked at the club and will be sadly missed. He will be remembered as a hard, but fair and honest forward who transferred those qualities into his coaching career. Under his captaincy Pontypool enjoyed the best season in their history in 1986-7 when they lost just twice in 47 games.

He was an icon of Gwent rugby in particular and his expertise in forward play was eagerly sought by everyone.

Bobby Windsor, Steve Jones’ predecessor as Pontypool hooker, said: “He was a team player, his heart was bigger than his body and he never ducked out of anything. Everyone is in shock because he kept himself so fit, he was always in training.”

“Everyone loved him and this has really hit everybody for six.”

Newport Gwent Dragons coach and ex Newbridge international Paul Turner added: “We were great mates. He was a man of Gwent, it’s a huge shock and this puts everything else into perspective.”

Newbridge Chairman Idris McCarthy also went onto comment:

“He slotted into the club straight away and even though he had only just arrived it seemed like he had been here for donkey’s years.”

“He was a man who demanded high standards of everybody, including himself, and one of the biggest things that struck me since he came to Newbridge was the complete honesty instilled in the players. If there were any problems he would sit down and talk them through and he would just get the best out of people.”

“People at Newbridge talked about him with great affection from the short time that they had known him because he would take the time to talk to everyone. And he wasn’t just concerned with the first team - he was interested in the youth sections and would always offer advice.”

On behalf of everyone, Newbridge RFC would just like to extend our deepest condolences to his partner Elizabeth, his son Leighton and the family.

He will most certainly be missed but not forgotten.