A former Minchinhampton RFC player, who cut his rugby teeth with the Stroud club, is set to make his Gloucester debut today, Saturday.
Ioan Jones is set to make his Gloucester bow in the Premiership Cup at Saracens this afternoon.
The full-back played for Minch from the U10s to the U16s and is a contemporary of last year’s U18s.
A delighted Minchinhampton spokesperson Alastair Mylechreest said: “Ioan played for Minchinhampton RFC from Under 10s through to U16s, but following his commitments with Gloucester, prevented him playing with us.
“In his first year, he helped the team win the County Cup and was an influential player throughout his time at the club. He was a keen but calm player and always put in maximum effort to all training sessions and matches.
“Everyone at Minchinhampton is delighted and proud at his call up to the bench for tomorrow’s game against Saracens and we hope that he has the chance to get on the pitch and display the talents that we all know he has and that this is the start of a long career with Gloucester.
“We pass on our best wishes to the Jones family and hope that his younger brother, also a Minchinhampton player, enjoys watching his debut.”
The Katharine Lady Berkeley product, who attended Dean Close Sixth Form, has been in the Gloucester Rugby Academy since he was 14-years-old.
Jones trained and played up with England U18s as an U17, making the team of the Six Nations tournament a year young. He represented England U18s for two years and recently played in an U19 development fixture against Italy.
Jones’ Gloucester Rugby Academy U18 Head Coach, Matt Teague, is proud of the latest graduate to the senior team.
Teague told Gloucester RFC website: “Ioan did an excellent job of balancing school and rugby commitments with us in his pursuit of his dream of a professional contract with his hometown club.
“This balance is not just a credit to Ioan but the support network in place with his close knit family and schooling both at KLB and Dean Close, that has allowed him to develop and flourish on the Gloucester Rugby Academy pathway.”
