Former coach gets Bishop blessing

Andrew Bishop has come through the Ospreys ranks

Andrew Bishop has thanked departed Ospreys coach Lyn Jones for putting him on the path to winning his first cap.

Jones, who left the Ospreys "by mutual consent" earlier this month, helped develop Bishop, 22, who is tipped to make his Wales debut in South Africa.

"I've got to thank Lyn for everything he's done for me," Bishop told the BBC.

"He recommended me when I was down at Neath, he brought me through and gave me my first chance at the Ospreys and stuck by me."

Despite winning the EDF Energy Cup and helping develop the bulk of Wales' Grand Slam-winning side, lacklustre results in the Heineken Cup and the Magners League saw Jones depart the Liberty Stadium.

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"It was a shock to everyone, no one could believe when we first heard," Bishop added.

"I got on with Lyn a lot and I'm going to miss him, but we'll see what happens now.

"But I've just been concentrating on my job with Wales, going to South Africa and hopefully winning my first cap."

Wales leave for South Africa on 29 May and play the Springboks at Bloemfontein's Vodacom Park on 7 June and then Pretoria's Loftus Versfeld on 14 June.

Ospreys elite performance director Andrew Hore has not yet settled on a replacement for Jones, while director of rugby Kevin Hopkins has also departed.

The likes of ex-Wales coaches Steve Hansen and Scott Johnson, and New Zealanders Todd Blackadder and Ian Foster are thought to be in the frame.

But Hore has said the next coach may not be a 'big name' and has not ruled out making an internal appointment.