NEWPORT Gwent Dragons favourite Steve Jones has made a swift return to Rodney Parade as part of the region’s new-look coaching team.

The 36-year-old former Wales hooker was forced to retire last season because of a hip injury.

Five-times capped Jones has been brought in as a front row coach and will offer scrummaging and lineout advice.

He will work closely with new forwards coach Kingsley Jones and will act as his deputy when he is busy with his role as boss of Russia in November and parts of February and March.

The Dragons have been without a specialist setpiece guru since former Wales loosehead prop Iestyn Thomas left at the end of last term to take a break from coaching.

And the choice of ‘Jabba’ Jones as a replacement, working one or two days a week, is one that will go down well with players and supporters alike.

“His main focus is the scrum and the throwing in and those are parts of the game that can sometimes be neglected,” said Kingsley Jones, who arrived at Rodney Parade with director of rugby Lyn Jones in June.

“I’ve been using Jabba quite a bit already but he will also work with Lyn and (head coach) Darren Edwards.

“He is a great addition to the coaching staff, we are all working well together and one of Lyn’s big things is about developing coaches and we are not about self-preservation.”

“This is a great starting point for Jabba and because he has only just retired he can almost be a big brother coach, the guys can come to him and look for any help or advice they want.

“Jabba has been a massive figure for the Dragons and it’s important that we keep characters like him involved in what we are doing.”

Steve Jones made his regional debut against the Ospreys on September 9, 2003 and was the last of the original Dragons.

His tally of 180 appearances over 10 campaigns is a Dragons record and once his career was ended prematurely he pressed on with doing his coaching badges and made no secret of his desire to stay in the game.

Jones worked with fellow hookers Sam Parry, Hugh Gustafson and Elliot Dee when sidelined by injury last season and will now do so while cutting his teeth as a coach.