Michael Jones
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@mariner4life genuine question - did you actually see him play live in his prime?
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@nzzp said in Highlanders 2021:
@mariner4life genuine question - did you actually see him play live in his prime?
Who Jones? Dude I'm in my mid-40s
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@mariner4life I'm surrounded by old fluffybunnies
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@machpants said in Highlanders 2021:
Whereas I'm stuck with dealing with babies who's brains are not yet fully formed.
Prolly lucky. Gotta watch for those babies with fully formed brains. Devious fuckers.
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@bones said in Highlanders 2021:
@machpants said in Highlanders 2021:
Whereas I'm stuck with dealing with babies who's brains are not yet fully formed.
Prolly lucky. Gotta watch for those babies with fully formed brains. Devious fuckers.
Devious fuckers?
i think you mean with fully formed genitals? -
anybody who thinks Jones at 6 was no better than Messam..I'm a fan of Messam (good super player) but Jones was still a force in a second position..he hit harder than Messam and his anticipation was still phenomenal even after his injury.
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@nostrildamus said in Highlanders 2021:
@bones said in Highlanders 2021:
@machpants said in Highlanders 2021:
Whereas I'm stuck with dealing with babies who's brains are not yet fully formed.
Prolly lucky. Gotta watch for those babies with fully formed brains. Devious fuckers.
Devious fuckers?
i think you mean with fully formed genitals?Each to their own I guess.
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@mariner4life said in Highlanders 2021:
@nzzp said in Highlanders 2021:
@mariner4life genuine question - did you actually see him play live in his prime?
Who Jones? Dude I'm in my mid-40s
same, so I caught him at the back end of his career when he was a 6 with a bunch of aura around him who didn't play sundays
That said, some mates who watched him through his AUckland career are consistently adamant he is the one of the best players they have ever seen. In fact, people who saw him live in the 80s usually hold that view - that he was a Jonah/McCaw level freak.
For me, McCaw redefined the role multiple times, and was just such an outstanding leader he had to be in our GOAT. However, it seems Jones pre knee injury was one of those apex athletes that was just better than everyone else
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@nzzp said in Michael Jones:
@mariner4life said in Highlanders 2021:
@nzzp said in Highlanders 2021:
@mariner4life genuine question - did you actually see him play live in his prime?
Who Jones? Dude I'm in my mid-40s
same, so I caught him at the back end of his career when he was a 6 with a bunch of aura around him who didn't play sundays
That said, some mates who watched him through his AUckland career are consistently adamant he is the one of the best players they have ever seen. In fact, people who saw him live in the 80s usually hold that view - that he was a Jonah/McCaw level freak.
For me, McCaw redefined the role multiple times, and was just such an outstanding leader he had to be in our GOAT. However, it seems Jones pre knee injury was one of those apex athletes that was just better than everyone else
Michael Jones was a freak who was as good a 7 as he was a 6 and one of the best players I've seen in too many years of watching rugby. Ability to read a game was sensational.
But the thing is... I don't think he was as good a 7 as McCaw and wasn't a better 6 than Jerome Kaino or (going back a decade before MJ) Ian Kirkpatrick.
But a heck of a bloke to have in the 23.
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@victor-meldrew so dare I say it... a bit of an Ardie? or more accurately is Ardie a bit of a Jones?
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@paekakboyz said in Michael Jones:
@victor-meldrew so dare I say it... a bit of an Ardie? or more accurately is Ardie a bit of a Jones?
MJ was well ahead of Ardie IMHO at 6 or 7. And I'm a huge Ardie fan.
Arguably the second best ever 7 & 6 in Black - and only second by a really, really small margin. Heck of a record.
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@nepia said in Michael Jones:
@snowy said in Highlanders 2021:
@nostrildamus said in Highlanders 2021:
@snowy said in Highlanders 2021:
@billy-tell said in Highlanders 2021:
I remain scarred by Michael jones vs Argentina. Each time there is a knee injury I think « career in jeopardy ». Jones came back but he was never as good.
Didn't he play 6 mostly after that? Had a bit of a different role and wasn't quite as visible? Or has my memory failed me - again...
It is shit news about Fakatava. It looks like most of us thought he was going to be in Black this year. Just have to hope it isn't as bad as we fear.
Yes but Jones speed factor set him apart in that era until the injury. Not a bad tackler though. He also played 8 for Auckland if I recall correctly.
Yeah think I saw him at 8. The move to six was due to the loss of speed you mentioned, and in a very rare Fern occurrence we could both / all be right.
He was better as a seven until his knee was fucked, slowed down a bit, played six. Was still very good. How does that sound?Best 7 we’ve ever had and then 2nd best 6 of the past 30 years.
I agree
1- R. Thorne
2- M. Jones -
@nzzp said in Michael Jones:
watched him through his AUckland career are consistently adamant he is the one of the best players they have ever seen. In fact, people who saw him live in the 80s usually hold that view - that he was a Jonah/McCaw level freak.
I was young, my Dad wasn't, but that statement holds true for both of us, and we don't always agree, especially about rugby. If rugby was on at Eden park we were there whether it be ABs or Auckland. More often than not MJ was handed a mic as MoM. The poor bugger was so shy, he really hated it.
Jones was just a natural, it was easy for him (not saying he was lazy, he wasn't) just a different style to the McCaw's work, grit, determination. Richie was more of a long distance runner, MJ a sprinter with superb skills that modern pros would be proud of. With both of them I just felt like there was at least two of them of them on the field at the time. Omni present players.
No way I could decide other than longevity.
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Never saw Jones play live but there's no doubt in my mind McCaw was the superior player
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@no-quarter said in Michael Jones:
Never saw Jones play live
You missed out.
@no-quarter said in Michael Jones:
there's no doubt in my mind McCaw was the superior player
Why? Not having a go, but why no doubt? Jones was way ahead of his time as was Richie. Richie was prone to mis-handle at times, MJ not so much. Both read the game superbly and and were in the right places when they needed to be.
I'm intrigued as to the reasoning? One player you saw a lot of the other not so much?
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@snowy I think they were different players, obviously different eras too, and I've never been a fan of comparing players spanning eras.
MJ was supremely talented
McCaw was so incredibly focussed and hard workingBoth outstanding players that sit at the top of the tree as some of the best ever, if I had to choose, I'd probably lean to McCaw.
