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Ryan Paul Jones (born 13 March 1981) is a Wales former international rugby union player who played at number eight, blindside flanker or second row. He was involved in three Grand Slam wins, in 2005, as captain in 2008, and 2012. He is one of a small group of Welsh players to have won three Grand Slams including Gerald Davies, Gareth Edwards, J. P. R. Williams, Adam Jones, Gethin Jenkins and Alun Wyn Jones.
Ryan Jones studied at UWIC, now Cardiff Metropolitan University, gaining a BSc (Hons) from 1999 to 2002. He played over a hundred games for UWIC RFC and captained the firsts in his final year. Jones said of the university: "I was a student at Cardiff Met's Cyncoed Campus for three years. I was really inspired by the ethos of sporting excellence and University rugby was the springboard for my international career".
Jones retired from rugby in 2015 on medical advice following a reoccurring shoulder injury.
In January 2008, Jones was appointed captain of Wales by new coach Warren Gatland. Ryan Jones is Wales captain, Martyn Williams returns Daily Post 14 January 2008 In his first Six Nations tournament as captain, he led his team to a second Grand Slam in four years. Boyo wonder The Guardian, 23 November 2008 In November 2008, Ryan Jones and Shane Williams became the first Welsh players to be nominated in a group of five players for the IRB International Player of the Year award, first awarded in 2001. Shane Williams was selected as the 2008 International Player of the Year.
In April 2009, Jones was omitted from the 2009 British & Irish Lions tour to South Africa. He was subsequently called up to join the squad on 9 June after Stephen Ferris pulled out with a knee injury, however within days of arriving in South Africa he was declared unfit by the Lions medical team due to head injuries he had sustained in a previous Wales test match.
Jones was named captain of the Welsh team for the Autumn internationals in 2009, when the side faced New Zealand, Samoa, Argentina and Australia.
Jones featured in all five of Wales' 2012 Six Nations matches, starting two, as he and the team secured a third Grand Slam in seven years. He also featured heavily in the following years championship, captaining Wales in three of the five games, only missing the final 30–3 defeat of England through injury, as Wales defended their championship title.
Jones held the record as Wales most capped captain by overtaking the record of 28 caps held by Ieuan Evans on 16 November 2012 versus Samoa. Jones' record of 33 caps as captain was surpassed by Sam Warburton on 14 March 2015.
He was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2021 Birthday Honours for services to rugby union football and charitable fundraising in Wales.
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In 2022, he was diagnosed with early onset dementia, probable chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). In the same interview, he also noted that he had been diagnosed with depression following his retirement from rugby in 2015, which was believed to be a symptom of the later dementia diagnosis.
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