Michael Jones (rugby player)
Player information | ||
---|---|---|
Full name | Michael Niko Jones | |
birthday | April 8, 1965 | |
place of birth | Auckland , New Zealand | |
size | 1.85 m | |
society | ||
society | Career ended | |
position | Winger , number eight | |
Provinces as active | ||
Years | province | Games (points) |
1985-99 | Auckland | () |
1996-99 | blues | () |
National team | ||
Years | National team | Games (points) |
1986 | Western Samoa | 1 (0) |
1987-98 | New Zealand | 55 (56) |
Coaching stations | ||
Years | Association / Province / Franchise | |
2004-07 | Samoa |
Sir Michael Niko Jones KNZM (born April 8, 1965 in Auckland , New Zealand ) is a former New Zealand rugby union player who is now a coach . He was used in the position of winger and number eight . Jones, who is partly of Samoan descent, is considered one of the best New Zealand rugby players of all time , alongside Colin Meads and Sean Fitzpatrick . His greatest success was winning the world title in 1987. Jones' nickname is "Iceman" - on the one hand because of his cool appearance, but above all because of the many small injuries that had to be treated with ice packs.
Career
Jones completed a game for the Samoas national team in 1986 . In 1987 he was - without ever having played for the All Blacks - due to his outstanding performance in the championship in the New Zealand squad for the first World Cup . Against Italy , he scored the first attempt ever in the first World Cup game in history . Jones made a decisive contribution to winning the world title, but he missed the semi-finals because, as a devout Christian, he always refused to play on Sundays.
On July 29, 1989, he suffered a serious knee injury in a game against Argentina , after which he was sidelined for almost a year. At the 1991 World Cup , Jones scored the first attempt at the tournament and eventually reached third place. For the 1995 World Cup , however, Jones was no longer called up because he still did not want to play on Sundays and so could not have been used in the quarter-finals and the semifinals. He played his last game for the All Blacks on August 1, 1998 in Christchurch .
At the provincial level, Jones played for the national team of the Auckland Rugby Football Union in the National Provincial Championship and led them to ten league titles between 1985 and 1999. After the professionalization of rugby union in the mid-1990s, he also played in the Super 12 league with the Blues and became champions in 1996 and 1997. In 1999 he resigned from top-class sport.
Jones graduated from Auckland University with a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Arts . In 2003 he was inducted into the International Rugby Hall of Fame . On April 7, 2004, he took over the position of coach of the Samoan national team , having previously been an assistant coach for a year.
successes
National team:
- 1 game with the Samoan national team
- 74 games with the All Blacks (55 of which were international)
- 56 points in international matches (13 attempts )
- World Champion 1987
- 3rd place WM 1991
- Tri Nations winner : 1996, 1998
Societies:
- Super 12 winner with the Blues : 1996, 1997
- NPC Masters with Auckland RFU : 1985, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1999
Web links
personal data | |
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SURNAME | Jones, Michael |
ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Jones, Michael Niko |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | New Zealand rugby union player and coach |
DATE OF BIRTH | April 8, 1965 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | Auckland |