1987, Michael Jones: A great among greats

Michael Jones, pictured scoring against Italy at Eden Park, was the standout player of a marvellous team. (NZ Herald Archive)

The All Blacks won the first Rugby World Cup with a 29-9 demolition of France at Eden Park.

The victory capped a brilliant tournament by dominant team which boasted some of the greatest names in rugby: Shelford, Whetton, Fox, Fitzpatrick, Kirwan. But one stood out: openside flanker Michael Jones.

New Zealanders had needed new rugby heroes after the dark days of the Cavaliers' tour to South Africa, said Herald sports writer Chris Rattue, and they found one in Jones.

He was fresh and exciting - an athlete in the trenches who was bordering on saintly in the way he played and lived.

"His athletic gifts were a quantum leap for rugby forwards," wrote Rattue looking back on 1987 tournament from the eve of RWC 2011. "Jones in full flight, with ball in hand, was magnificent."

But other things set him apart. He was a teetotaller and he put his religion first, ruling himself out of the Cup semi-final against Wales because it was held on a Sunday.

"A rugby world not always enamoured by the unsmiling giants of All Black rugby was more than happy to welcome this newcomer. Jones was admired and cherished by one and all."

Michael Niko Jones is our New Zealander of the Year for 1987, not just for the possession he won and the tries he scored, but for sticking to his principles, his grace and the noble way he played the game.

From the Herald archives:
'Keeping up with Jones', NZ Herald online, 15 August 2011

Further reading:
'All Blacks win the first World Cup', New Zealand History Online