South Wales Jets are proud to confirm their senior management team for the 2024 season and beyond.
As previously announced, the head coaches will be former Wales internationals Ben Flower and Lloyd White, both of whom played in Wales’ 2009 and 2010 European Championship winning sides and in the 2013 World Cup.
Flower played 17 times for Wales, captaining the side for two games in 2009, against England and Serbia. A junior international in both rugby codes, he was snapped up by Celtic Crusaders becoming a regular in the three years that they played in Super League, making 65 first team appearances. He also went on loan to South Wales Scorpions in 2010, making four appearances, including one in the club’s first ever game. Honours came to him when he joined Wigan in 2012. In 2013, he and team-mate Gil Dudson became the first Welsh-born Challenge Cup finalist and winner for 17 years, also playing in that year’s Grand Final win. He was also in the Grand Final winning sides in 2016 and 2018, plus a World Club Challenge win in 2017. He retired from the professional game at the end of the 2021 season after making 222 Super League appearances in his career. He has spent two years coaching junior rugby league at Aber Valley Wolves.
White, the nephew of former Wales and Great Britain international Phil Ford, played for Wales 15 times. He started playing rugby league at a young age with Newport Titans where aged just 17 he made his first team debut and was man of the match in the 2007 Welsh Grand Final. Alongside Flower, he progressed to the Crusaders Colts side and helped them to a National Grand Final win. A Wales Students international, he helped them to third place in the 2008 Student World Cup in Australia and was then a Four Nations winner in 2009. He played in Super League with Celtic Crusaders and Widnes Vikings, making 145 appearances at the top level, scoring 36 tries and kicking 24 goals, but also played for South Wales Scorpions in 2010, kicking the winning penalty in their first-ever game and becoming their leading points scorer in their debut season. He later kicked the winning penalty for Wales against France to help us qualify for the 2011 Four Nations.
Craig “Flakey” Lewis has been appointed as Team Manager. He moves into the management team after being co-captain of the senior team last year, he also has no desire to hang up his boots just yet. He played professionally with South Wales Scorpions in 2015 and with West Wales Raiders from 2018-22. A Wales Dragonhearts international, he won six caps between 2016 and 2023 in the years where he wasn’t at the Raiders, and he was also a Wales U16 international in 2005. Starting off in Newport Titans as a junior, in addition to his professional career, he is a three-time Welsh Grand Final medal winner, playing in the 2017 and 2018 side with Valley Cougars and last year with the Jets.
Touchline Manager will be Daniel “Shakey” Blakemore. A former rugby league player with Valley Cougars, he currently spends the winter months as a coach of our hosts Penallta RFC. Also venturing into the round-ball game, Blakemore was on the board and was head of community development at Taffs Well FC before going back to rugby. A keen writer and broadcaster, he writes for Forza Italian Football and often speaks on GTFM’s The Season Ticket show.
Finally, Dean Williams joins the club as Head of Medical. With qualifications in sports trauma with Lubas Medical and in Advanced Life Support (ALS), he comes to the club with over 12 years experience in pitchside cover with rugby teams, primarily with Waunarlwydd RFC and of course the Jets.
Jets’ chairman Liam Price said: “I couldn’t be happier with the team that we have put in place for this year and beyond. When I entered the team into the league last year I never thought we would be in the position that we are in now. We have gone from strength to strength and with these appointments, I’m sure we will increase the already high standards that have already been set. I can’t wait to see what Ben and Lloyd can bring to the team their experience and knowledge that they will pass on will be invaluable to the whole squad.
“Having Craig as team manager means a lot to me, he’s been by my side ever since I started the Jets so to have him step up to team manager is massive. Dean came on board last year when it was difficult to find anyone to volunteer and has bought into the Jets massively. This year he takes on a slightly bigger role as head of medical for the club. And it is nice to finally have Daniel back on board after his family commitments over the last year. The Jets was originally an idea that Daniel and I came up with over a drink, whilst sat outside a coffee house in Cardiff watching the world go by.”