Former Wales rugby star dead at 59 after suffering heart attack in the gym

• Mark Jones won 15 Wales caps after making his debut against Scotland in 1987
• Tributes pour in for ‘Scooby’ who also represented Great Britain in rugby league
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By DAVID KENT

Former Wales No 8 Mark Jones has died aged of 59 after suffering a heart attack in the Middle East. 

Tributes have poured in for the dual-code international who has been described as a ‘giant’ of Welsh rugby. 

He had been training in a gym in Qatar, where he has been living since a spell in coaching. 

Jones played 15 times for Wales’ rugby union team and 11 for Wales’ rugby league side. He also won a cap for Great Britain’s 13-a-side team.

Jones, affectionately nicknamed ‘Scooby’, spent four years at Hull FC before joining Warrington in 1995 where he went on to make 38 appearances. 

Speaking on behalf of the Wales Rugby League in a statement, Clive Griffiths, who coached Jones at both Wales and Warrington said:  ‘Scooby was a giant in both codes, and the fact that he went on to play for Great Britain as well, speaks volumes for his ability as a player. 

Former Wales star Mark Jones, pictured playing for Ebbw Vale, has died in Qatar aged 59

Jones won 26 caps for Wales — across union and league — and also represented Great Britain 

‘He was part and parcel of that great era of Welsh rugby league until rugby union went back professional in 1995. From 1991-95, he was an ever-present in the Welsh squad.

‘Everybody loved him as a man first and foremost.

‘For me, it’s like losing one of the family. We’re so tight as a group, the team of 1995, and we’re always in touch. It’s difficult to explain the depth of feeling from that group of players right now.

‘He always called me boss, right up until now. He was a brilliant man, one of the best and that’s why he was loved so much.’

Jones made his union international debut against Scotland at Murrayfield in March 1987, aged just 21, scoring a late try in a 21-15 defeat. He made the switch to rugby league in 1990 when he joined Hull.

During his career, he was sent off six times and banned for over 33 weeks for violent conduct. 

In Jones’ 2023 autobiography ‘Fighting to Speak, he opened up on his struggles with a debilitating stammer and how it led to the on-field ferocity he showed during his career.

‘After one exceptionally ugly incident, when I broke Ian Gough’s eye socket when playing for Ebbw Vale, I realised that in order to defeat my demons and control my bad behaviour I needed to acknowledge that my stammer was the root cause of my torment,” wrote Jones.

He added: ‘I have learnt to control my stammer, and have stopped my stammer controlling me.

‘Anyone who has suffered from a stammer will know of the humiliation and low self-esteem it creates.

‘Thankfully, I have now found a way to live my life free from its grip and I hope that my honesty and insight will help others experiencing the same torment.’

After retiring in 2005, Jones coached before moving to Qatar to work as a lab technician at the Abu Dhabi international school. 

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Former Wales rugby star dead at 59 after suffering heart attack in the gym

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