Long and lanky, Ian Jones overcame constant carping, especially in his early years, about his perceived lack of bulk to become one of New Zealand rugby's greatest ever locks. When he left the New Zealand game in 1999 to finish out his playing days with a lucrative English contract with Gloucester he had 79 tests to his credit, second only to Sean Fitzpatrick's 92.
Jones was a product of Northland and was forever known by the nickname, "Kamo" after the Whangarei suburb in which he grew up. He failed to win early recognition and was overlooked for New Zealand colts honours. His potential only came to light when he made the North Auckland team, as it was then, in 1988 as a 21-year old stripling.
Jones in his first season excelled in an otherwise badly beaten North Auckland side in its Ranfurly Shield challenge against Auckland, securing a surprising amount of lineout ball. He confirmed that promise with another fine lineout performance for The Rest which stretched the shadow test XV in a trial early in 1989.
That earmarked him as a top prospect and accordingly he was taken on that year's end of season tour to Wales and Ireland, mainly for development purposes. Though Gary Whetton and Murray Pierce were the established test locks Jones had an excellent tour and when Pierce retired there was no concern about introducing him for his first cap, at Dunedin's Carisbrook against Scotland in 1990.
Jones marked the occasion with a try on debut. By coincidence six years later Jones played his 50th test, again at Carisbrook and again with Scotland the opponent. On almost the same spot as six years before Jones scored another try.
From 1990 through to 1997, other than the odd glitch, Jones was an automatic selection and he was one who emerged from the 1991 World Cup disappointment with his reputation intact. From 1992 and into the latter years of the decade he and Robin Brooke formed one of the most enduring locking partnerships in international rugby.
They were an ideal complement with one commanding the front of lineouts and the other the middle. And whereas Brooke was a hardnosed grinder Jones had the ball skills in the open.
Between 1988 and 1993 Jones played 66 matches for North Auckland but suffered when the union was relegated to the NPC second division after the 1992 season. Jones stayed on to captain the union but began to struggle internationally and during the series against the Lions that year was dropped for one of the tests.
He thus transferred to the neighbouring North Harbour union and played out the rest of his provincial career with Harbour, finishing with 53 matches. Back in the NPC first division, he reasserted himself as a first choice test player and had an especially outstanding 1995 World Cup.
Jones and Brooke were unchallenged as the test pair through the phenomenally successful 1996 and 1997 seasons, which saw the All Blacks win the inaugural tri-nations titles and in 1996 become the first from New Zealand to win a series in South Africa.
But in 1998 Jones' fortunes began to wane and he was one who paid for the five consecutive test losses that year. He was relegated to the reserves in favour of Royce Willis for the final two tests of that unhappy winter.
Jones struggled again to hold his place in 1999 and when he was demoted to the New Zealand A squad in the domestic season and it appeared his test days were over. But after some lineout problems were exposed in a test loss to the Wallabies in Sydney he was recalled to the World Cup squad for his third tournament.
Jones, though, was used only sparingly, appearing only in the romp over Italy and coming on as a replacement in the quarterfinal against Scotland and what had been a glorious All Black career ended on a low key note. Having had the good luck to have gone on extensive tours in his early years, Jones was the last man to have topped a century (105) matches for the All Blacks.
In the Super 12 Jones made 38 appearances, often as captain, for the Chiefs between 1996 and 1999. He once scored three tries in a match, against the Waratahs in 1996, but generally he did not have an enjoyable Super 12 experience and in 1998 he copped a lengthy suspension after a stomping incident involving the Hurricanes' Jason O'Halloran.
Jones returned to New Zealand in 2002 after his stint in English rugby and into the limelight as a perceptive comments man for Sky Television.
Profile by Bob Luxford
for the New Zealand Rugby Museum.
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FULL NAME |
Ian Donald Jones |
BORN |
Monday, 17 April 1967 in Whangarei |
AGE |
43 |
PHYSICAL |
1.98m, 104kg |
POSITION |
Lock |
LAST SCHOOL |
Kamo High |
RUGBY CLUB
(First made All Blacks from) |
Kamo |
PROVINCES |
Northland, North Harbour |
RUGBY NICKNAME |
Kamo |
ALL BLACK DEBUT |
Saturday, 14 October 1989
v Cardiff at Cardiff
aged 22 years, 180 days |
INTERNATIONAL DEBUT |
Saturday, 16 June 1990
v Scotland at Dunedin
aged 23 years, 60 days |
LAST TEST |
Sunday, 24 October 1999
v Scotland at Edinburgh
aged 32 years, 190 days |
ALL BLACK TESTS |
79 (0 as Captain) |
ALL BLACK GAMES |
26 (1 as Captain) |
TOTAL ALL BLACK MATCHES |
105 (1 as Captain) |
ALL BLACK TEST POINTS |
42pts (9t, 0c, 0p, 0dg, 0m) |
ALL BLACK GAME POINTS |
23pts (5t, 0c, 0p, 0dg, 0m) |
TOTAL ALL BLACK POINTS |
65pts (14t, 0c, 0p, 0dg, 0m) |
ALL BLACK NUMBER |
902 |
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The All Black Games that Jones played.
(+) = substitute; (-) = replaced |
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Click on the date to be taken to the Match Card |
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1989 |
14 Oct vs Cardiff at Cardiff 25-15 |
18 Oct vs Pontypool at Pontypool 47-6 |
25 Oct vs Neath at Neath 26-15 |
8 Nov vs Leinster at Dublin 36-9 |
14 Nov vs Connacht at Galway 40-6 |
1990 |
16 Jun vs Scotland at Dunedin 31-16 |
23 Jun vs Scotland at Auckland 21-18 |
21 Jul vs Australia at Christchurch 21-6 |
4 Aug vs Australia at Auckland 27-17 |
18 Aug vs Australia at Wellington 9-21 |
17 Oct vs Provence/Cote D'Azur Invitation XV at Toulon 15-19 |
24 Oct vs A French XV at Brive 27-24 |
3 Nov vs France at Nantes 24-3 |
10 Nov vs France at Paris 30-12 |
1991 |
19 Jun vs Cordoba at Cordoba 38-9 |
25 Jun vs Tucuman at Tucuman 21-9 |
2 Jul vs Cuyo at Mendoza 47-12 |
6 Jul vs Argentina at Buenos Aires 28-14 |
13 Jul vs Argentina at Buenos Aires 36-6 |
10 Aug vs Australia at Sydney 12-21 |
24 Aug vs Australia at Auckland 6-3 |
3 Oct vs England at London 18-12 |
8 Oct vs USA at Gloucester 46-6 |
13 Oct vs Italy at Leicester 31-21 |
20 Oct vs Canada at Lille 29-13 |
27 Oct vs Australia at Dublin 6-16 |
30 Oct vs Scotland at Cardiff 13-6 |
1992 |
18 Apr vs World XV at Christchurch 14-28 |
22 Apr vs World XV at Wellington 54-26 |
25 Apr vs World XV at Auckland 26-15 |
30 May vs Ireland at Dunedin 24-21 |
6 Jun vs Ireland at Wellington 59-6 |
24 Jun vs South Australian Invitation XV at Adelaide 48-18 |
28 Jun vs N.S.W. at Sydney 41-9 |
4 Jul vs Australia at Sydney 15-16 |
12 Jul vs Queensland at Brisbane 26-19 |
19 Jul vs Australia at Brisbane 17-19 |
25 Jul vs Australia at Sydney 26-23 |
1 Aug vs Natal at Durban 43-25 |
5 Aug vs Orange Free State at Bloemfontein 33-14 (Captain) |
8 Aug vs Junior South Africa at Pretoria 25-10 |
15 Aug vs South Africa at Johannesburg 27-24 |
1993 |
12 Jun vs British & Irish Lions at Christchurch 20-18 |
26 Jun vs British & Irish Lions at Wellington 7-20 (+) |
3 Jul vs British & Irish Lions at Auckland 30-13 (-) |
31 Jul vs Samoa at Auckland 35-13 |
23 Oct vs London & SE Division at London 39-12 |
26 Oct vs Midlands at Leicester 12-6 |
30 Oct vs England South West at Redruth 19-15 |
7 Nov vs England 'A' at Gateshead 26-12 |
13 Nov vs Scotland 'A' at Glasgow 20-9 (-) |
20 Nov vs Scotland at Edinburgh 51-15 |
27 Nov vs England at London 9-15 |
4 Dec vs Barbarians at Cardiff 25-12 |
1994 |
26 Jun vs France at Christchurch 8-22 |
3 Jul vs France at Auckland 20-23 |
9 Jul vs South Africa at Dunedin 22-14 (-) |
6 Aug vs South Africa at Auckland 18-18 |
17 Aug vs Australia at Sydney 16-20 |
1995 |
22 Apr vs Canada at Auckland 73-7 |
27 May vs Ireland at Johannesburg 43-19 |
31 May vs Wales at Johannesburg 34-9 |
11 Jun vs Scotland at Pretoria 48-30 |
18 Jun vs England at Cape Town 45-29 |
24 Jun vs South Africa at Johannesburg 12-15 |
22 Jul vs Australia at Auckland 28-16 |
29 Jul vs Australia at Sydney 34-23 |
28 Oct vs Italy at Bologna 70-6 |
1 Nov vs French Barbarians at Toulon 34-19 |
4 Nov vs Languedoc-Roussillon at Beziers 30-9 |
11 Nov vs France at Toulouse 15-22 |
18 Nov vs France at Paris 37-12 |
1996 |
7 Jun vs Samoa at Napier 51-10 |
15 Jun vs Scotland at Dunedin 62-31 |
22 Jun vs Scotland at Auckland 36-12 |
6 Jul vs Australia at Wellington 43-6 |
20 Jul vs South Africa at Christchurch 15-11 |
27 Jul vs Australia at Brisbane 32-25 |
10 Aug vs South Africa at Cape Town 29-18 |
17 Aug vs South Africa at Durban 23-19 |
24 Aug vs South Africa at Pretoria 33-26 |
31 Aug vs South Africa at Johannesburg 22-32 |
1997 |
14 Jun vs Fiji at Albany 71-5 |
21 Jun vs Argentina at Wellington 93-8 (-) |
28 Jun vs Argentina at Hamilton 62-10 |
5 Jul vs Australia at Christchurch 30-13 |
19 Jul vs South Africa at Johannesburg 35-32 |
26 Jul vs Australia at Melbourne 33-18 |
9 Aug vs South Africa at Auckland 55-35 |
16 Aug vs Australia at Dunedin 36-24 (-) |
8 Nov vs Llanelli at Llanelli 81-3 |
15 Nov vs Ireland at Dublin 63-15 |
22 Nov vs England at Manchester 25-8 |
29 Nov vs Wales at London 42-7 |
6 Dec vs England at London 26-26 |
1998 |
20 Jun vs England at Dunedin 64-22 |
27 Jun vs England at Auckland 40-10 (-) |
11 Jul vs Australia at Melbourne 16-24 |
25 Jul vs South Africa at Wellington 3-13 |
1 Aug vs Australia at Christchurch 23-27 |
29 Aug vs Australia at Sydney 14-19 (+) |
1999 |
11 Jun vs New Zealand 'A' at Christchurch 22-11 |
26 Jun vs France at Wellington 54-7 (+) |
14 Oct vs Italy at Huddersfield 101-3 |
24 Oct vs Scotland at Edinburgh 30-18 (+) |
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