Jones loses Wales captaincy before World Cup

Before the 2025 World Cup, Wales head coach Sean Lynn removed Hannah Jones from the position of captain.

Before the world championship and the two-game World Cup warm-up tour to face Australia in July and August, Jones, 28, has been let go of his position.

Before the 2023 Six Nations, when Wales finished third, the center became the center’s captain. He has won 65 caps.

In addition to Jones’ contract dispute with the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) in 2024, Wales finished third in the next two competitions.

“This is a new chapter for the team,” said Lynn, “and I’m determined to influence the changes we need with the squad, coaches, and staff to build real success on solid foundations.”

WRU members admitted to serious errors during a drawn-out negotiation process, during which players had to endure ultimatums and threats to withdraw from major tournaments.

While Ioan Cunningham, the WRU head coach, left with mutual consent, the organization apologised and conducted an independent review.

After winning three consecutive league titles with Gloucester-Hartpury, a team that included Jones, Lynn was appointed as Wales’ head coach.

He made the initial decision to retain Jones as his skipper, with the addition of flankers Alex Callender and scrum-half Keira Bevan as vice-captains, but he has since made the switch.

We will call for a fresh voice in a deliberate effort to develop the leadership within the squad, according to Lynn, who performed a professional job in difficult circumstances that have been well documented.

When I was hired by the WRU, Lynn stated that the job I had always wanted was the one I wanted, and that I needed the authority to establish new team standards and challenge coaches, players, and staff to build a team that would inspire pride.

“Developing more leaders is one of the many steps on that journey, and we will all do that together.”

In order to emphasize his desire to change in the senior national squad, Lynn has named a 45-member summer training squad that includes a number of brand-new faces.

Before traveling to Brisbane on July 26 and then Sydney on August 1, the coach wants to reduce his squad to 30 players.

In a warm-up at Rodney Parade in September, Wales defeated Australia for the first time in their history before suffering a crushing defeat at WXV2 a week later.

Wales will have three weeks to recover from their jet lag before the 10-year-old Women’s Rugby World Cup, which will take place at eight different locations in England.