Before the inception of regional rugby, Jones and Howells fought it out as coaches of Neath and Pontypridd respectively.
But it is Jones who has the upper-hand in the professional era. Both coaches were given the reigns at the newly formed Welsh regions back in 2003, but endured contrasting fortunes.
Then Ospreys coach Jones completed a Celtic League double over Howells’ hotly tipped Celtic Warriors side before the valleys region disbanded after a year in existence.
Jones was still at the helm at the Liberty Stadium when Howells took charge of Edinburgh in 2006, and he continued his winning run with a pair of victories as the Ospreys clinched the Celtic League title on the last day of the season.
But the former Wales flanker is expecting Howells to have prepared a well-drilled side for their Pool Three Romanian trip on Saturday.
He said: “Lynn was a very successful coach for Pontypridd and Cardiff. It will be so difficult against Bucharest, we will have to be on-top of our game. We understand how difficult a challenge it can be, or how easy it can be, but that’s up to us and how we approach the game.”
Howells has strong links with the other man in charge of the Dragons, Kingsley Jones, when he coached Pontypridd’s forward pack in the 1990s.
And the master got one over on the apprentice when Howells’ Romanian side who got the better of Kingsley Jones’ Russian outfit in Taupse in a World Cup qualifier that guaranteed Romania safe passage into next year’s tournament in England.
The Jones duo have suffered with their struggling Dragons side of late, but Lyn Jones is desperate to turn their season around with back-to-back victories over the Romanian side.
He said: “It’s a big boat here, we’re driving across the atlantic to New York in record time and we’ve got to make sure we avoid that big iceberg. We have to turn it and that comes from everybody in the club, not just me and Kingsley.
“It comes from everybody in the club, including the board who are helping direct this ship and keeping us away from that iceberg. We’re working as hard as we can and we’re determined to turn it around.”
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