Few players have exuded so much charisma and mystique as Michael Jones, a supremely gifted athlete who whenever he was fit and available was almost invariably one of the first names written down in any All Black team sheet.

Jones was in the All Blacks for nearly the same period of time as his contemporary Sean Fitzpatrick. Yet while Fitzpatrick's test tally was in the 90s Jones played just 55.

That, of course, was a reflection of Jones' many absences caused firstly by his unavailability for any matches played on Sundays and secondly from his many injuries.

His serious knee injury in particular in a test against the Argentinian Pumas at Athletic Park in 1989 effectively split Jones' international career into two distinct parts.

In his first period Jones played mainly as an open side flanker, from the time he made his All Black debut in the 1987 World Cup through to the mishap against the Pumas, and as such he helped redefine the position. He had pace, athleticism, ball skills and a punishing tackle which quickly won him acclaim as one of the most gifted rugby players of all time. And despite being not much more than 1.85m he was able to outjump taller forwards because of a spring honed by his years as an accomplished young basketballer.

Jones was obvipusly destined for stardom from the time he made the Auckland side as a 20 year old and in his representative debut scored three tries agaipst South Canterbury. Top performances towards the end of the 1986 season in Auckland's Ranfurly Shield defences confirmed that promise and he was ear-marked for the All Blacks when he starred with the Barbarians in 1987 on a tour of Britain. He also appeared for the New Zealand Colts and, being of Samoan descent, played a test for Western Samoa in 1986.

In the 1987-88-89 seasons, despite problems from his religious principles forbidding Sunday play, it seemed as if Jones was a player blessed and he was one of the best All Blacks in the World Cup triumph. He was the first man to score a World Cup try and in one of the pool matches against Fiji he showed the finesse and judgement of a centre in putting wing Craig Green away for a try.

But the knee injury against the Pumas ruled him out for nearly 12 months and when he returned towards the end of the 1990 season, though still superb, he may have been not quite the same dynamic player.

Nevertheless, he was taken to the 1991 World Cup tournament and he scored in the opening match against England at Twickenham. But Jones's unavailability for three Sunday matches in the 1991 tournament was a factor which did not help the All Blacks' bid to retain the title won in 1987. The composition of the squad to cover for Jones was also direly affected when another of the loose forwards, Mike Brewer, failed a fitness test and was a late withdrawal.

Jones was not chosen for the 1995 World Cup in South Africa because of the Sunday complication and the tough decision taken by then All Black coach Laurie Mains was undoubtedly justified. Yet that was not to be, as many had assumed, the end of Jones's All Black career even if another injury, a broken jaw, had ruled him out of the 1993 tour of England and Scotland and in 1997 against Fiji there was another serious knee problem.

But increasingly in the mid 1990s Jones had been making the switch, both with Auckland and the All Blacks, from being an openside tearaway to the more conservative, less flamboyant but more physical demands of becoming a blindside flanker. As a number six, with his strength, commitment and fierce close quarter tackling, he was especially effective in 1996, when the All Blacks scored a record 43-6 win over the Wallabies at Athletic Park, won the inaugural tri-nations title and won a test series for the first time over the Springboks in South Africa.

But by 1998, when he was 33, it was clear he was now beginning to feel the effects of his many injuries and after some disastrous All Black results that season he became one of the casualties, being dropped for the final two tests of that season.

He played for the Blues again in the 1999 Super 12 and for Auckland in the national provincial championship, having the satisfaction of being in a team which won the final.

Jones won many plaudits for his on field deeds, even being acclaimed by some judges as the greatest rugby player of all time. That may have been arguable, but he certainly would be a candidate of any dream All Black XV.

Of part Samoan heritage, he was a splendid role model off the field as well. Always polite and quietly spoken, and a solid student who gained two university degrees, he won respect for the dignified manner with which he stuck to his principles.

In 2003 the International Rugby Hall of Fame Trust inducted Jones into the sport's International Halt of Fame. Jones later coached the Samoan team. His biography “Iceman-The Michael Jones Story” by Robin McConnell was published in 1994.

Profile by Lindsay Knight
for the New Zealand Rugby Museum.

FULL NAME

Michael Niko Jones

BORN

Thursday, 8 April 1965 in Auckland

AGE

45

PHYSICAL

1.85m, 98kg

POSITION

Flanker and Number 8

LAST SCHOOL

Henderson High

RUGBY CLUB
(First made All Blacks from)

Waitemata

PROVINCE

Auckland

RUGBY NICKNAME

Iceman

ALL BLACK DEBUT

Friday, 22 May 1987
v Italy at Auckland
aged 22 years, 44 days

INTERNATIONAL DEBUT

Friday, 22 May 1987
v Italy at Auckland
aged 22 years, 44 days

LAST TEST

Saturday, 1 August 1998
v Australia at Christchurch
aged 33 years, 115 days

ALL BLACK TESTS

55 (0 as Captain)

ALL BLACK GAMES

19 (0 as Captain)

TOTAL ALL BLACK MATCHES

74 (0 as Captain)

ALL BLACK TEST POINTS

56pts (13t, 0c, 0p, 0dg, 0m)

ALL BLACK GAME POINTS

13pts (3t, 0c, 0p, 0dg, 0m)

TOTAL ALL BLACK POINTS

69pts (16t, 0c, 0p, 0dg, 0m)

ALL BLACK NUMBER

882

The All Black Games that Jones played.
(+) = substitute; (-) = replaced

Click on the date to be taken to the Match Card

1987

 22 May vs Italy at Auckland 70-6  

 27 May vs Fiji at Christchurch 74-13  

 6 Jun vs Scotland at Christchurch 30-3  

 20 Jun vs France at Auckland 29-9  

 25 Jul vs Australia at Sydney 30-16  

1988

 28 May vs Wales at Christchurch 52-3  

 11 Jun vs Wales at Auckland 54-9  

 22 Jun vs Randwick RFC at Sydney 25-9  

 29 Jun vs N.S.W. Country at Singleton 29-4 (-) 

 6 Jul vs A.C.T. at Queanbeyan 16-3  

 13 Jul vs Queensland B at Townsville 39-3 (-) 

 16 Jul vs Australia at Brisbane 19-19  

 23 Jul vs N.S.W. at Sydney 42-6 (-) 

 30 Jul vs Australia at Sydney 30-9  

1989

 17 Jun vs France at Christchurch 25-17  

 1 Jul vs France at Auckland 34-20  

 15 Jul vs Argentina at Dunedin 60-9  

 29 Jul vs Argentina at Wellington 49-12 (-) 

1990

 20 Oct vs Languedoc Selection at Narbonne 22-6  

 24 Oct vs A French XV at Brive 27-24  

 30 Oct vs Cote Basque-Landes at Bayonne 12-18  

 3 Nov vs France at Nantes 24-3  

 10 Nov vs France at Paris 30-12  

1991

 15 Jun vs Rosario at Rosario 81-9 (-) 

 22 Jun vs Buenos Aires at Buenos Aires 37-9  

 25 Jun vs Tucuman at Tucuman 21-9 (+) 

 29 Jun vs Argentina 'B' at Buenos Aires 22-6  

 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  

 30 Oct vs Scotland at Cardiff 13-6  

1992

 18 Apr vs World XV at Christchurch 14-28 (-) 

 25 Apr vs World XV at Auckland 26-15  

 6 Jun vs Ireland at Wellington 59-6  

 24 Jun vs South Australian Invitation XV at Adelaide 48-18  

 4 Jul vs Australia at Sydney 15-16  

 8 Jul vs Victorian Invitation XV at Melbourne 53-3  

 15 Jul vs Queensland B at Cairns 32-13  

 25 Jul vs Australia at Sydney 26-23  

 1 Aug vs Natal at Durban 43-25  

 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 (-) 

 17 Jul vs Australia at Dunedin 25-10  

 31 Jul vs Samoa at Auckland 35-13  

1994

 6 Aug vs South Africa at Auckland 18-18 (+) 

 17 Aug vs Australia at Sydney 16-20  

1995

 22 Jul vs Australia at Auckland 28-16 (+) 

 29 Jul vs Australia at Sydney 34-23 (-) 

 28 Oct vs Italy at Bologna 70-6  

 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 (-) 

1998

 20 Jun vs England at Dunedin 64-22 (-) 

 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  

Points scored for the All Blacks

t

c

p

dg

pts

vs Italy, 22 May 1987

1

-

-

-

4

vs France, 20 Jun 1987

1

-

-

-

4

vs Wales, 11 Jun 1988

1

-

-

-

4

vs Australia, 16 Jul 1988

1

-

-

-

4

vs Argentina, 15 Jul 1989

2

-

-

-

8

vs A French XV, 24 Oct 1990

1

-

-

-

4

vs France, 10 Nov 1990

1

-

-

-

4

vs Argentina 'B', 29 Jun 1991

1

-

-

-

4

vs Argentina, 13 Jul 1991

1

-

-

-

4

vs England, 3 Oct 1991

1

-

-

-

4

vs Victorian Invitation XV, 8 Jul 1992

1

-

-

-

5

vs Italy, 28 Oct 1995

1

-

-

-

5

vs Scotland, 22 Jun 1996

1

-

-

-

5

vs Australia, 6 Jul 1996

1

-

-

-

5

vs Fiji, 14 Jun 1997

1

-

-

-

5

Totals

16

0

0

0

69

NB: includes four tries at five points

Test Record by Nation

P

W

D

L

t

c

p

dg

pts

Argentina

4

4

-

-

3

-

-

-

12

Australia

15

9

1

5

2

-

-

-

9

British & Irish Lions

3

2

-

1

-

-

-

-

-

England

2

2

-

-

1

-

-

-

4

Fiji

2

2

-

-

1

-

-

-

5

France

7

6

-

1

2

-

-

-

8

Ireland

1

1

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

Italy

2

2

-

-

2

-

-

-

9

Samoa

2

2

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

Scotland

4

4

-

-

1

-

-

-

5

South Africa

8

5

1

2

-

-

-

-

-

USA

1

1

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

Wales

2

2

-

-

1

-

-

-

4

World XV

2

1

-

1

-

-

-

-

-

Totals

55

43

2

10

13

0

0

0

56