Inside Running

By Steve Hale A seemingly meek and mild twenty-year-old Michael Jones suddenly found himself immersed in a hard drinking, old school rugby environment, surrounded by senior All Blacks who could be as ruthless off the field as they were on it.  “What people don’t realise about Michael is that there are two sides to him” laughs former Auckland Blues and Manu Samoa lock Leo Lafaiali’i.  He is a lovely man, softly spoken and humble. But he could flick a switch before kick-off and trainings. I’d known Michael my whole life, our families go way back. But when Michael flicked that switch… he changed.” “You know guys like Eroni Clarke, Andrew Blowers I would be having prayers with Michael the night before a game, but the next day in the sheds before kick-off, I often wondered, is this the same guy?” “The word mongrel speaks to mind…. in the nicest possible sense. People thought Zinzan Brooke was competitive, well he didn’t have anything on Michael. He had to w...

By Steve Hale Having played the curtain raiser for Auckland Colts on Saturday the 14th of September 1985, Michael Jones sat back alongside team mates Zinzan Brooke and Bernie McCahill in the Lancaster Park stands, interested onlookers as their provincial A team lifted the log off Canterbury in a titanic struggle later billed  ‘The Match of the Century’.   Within 24 hours the dynamic young loose forward had received a phone call from Auckland coach John Hart summoning him to join the senior team’s ranks. Three days later Michael Niko Jones made his first class debut, scoring a hat trick for Auckland against South Canterbury at Timaru. The Ice Man had arrived. While Jones was not a complete rugby unknown, he had already represented New Zealand at U18 level and captained a fearsome Henderson High School 1st XV including Timo Tagaloa his subsequent progression through the ranks to the top level of the game was nonetheless was nothing short of incredible.  ...