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When the Barbarians take on the Wallabies at Allianz on October 28, rival coaches Alan Jones and Michael Cheika will bring together two of the most competitive people on the planet.
But they are a generation apart, plus vastly different backgrounds and eras.
Jones is 76 with a tennis background as a junior Davis Cupper until an ongoing back problem scuppered that career, while Cheika’s 50 with rugby always to the fore from an early age.
Jones, among other endeavours. was a school teacher then a speech writer for Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser before embarking on a hugely successful radio career that has stamped him among the icons of the industry.
Not to be outdone, Cheika started a fashion house Live Fashion that has become a multi-million dollar organisation.
Jones has always been eloquent, and without peer as an after-dinner speaker with no notes, everything off the cuff.
But Cheika is the linguist speaking fluent French, Italian, and Arabic.
In short, both have been very successful off the rugby pitch, but come October 28, it’s all about rugby.
And winning.
Jones’ first senior appointment was at Manly in 1983, taking the seaside club to their first Shute Shield in 32 years. I called that game against Randwick at the old Sydney Sports Ground with Norman Tasker where Mark Ella’s left foot drop goal attempt from the junction of the halfway and touchline shaved the left hand upright in the dying seconds that would have pinched the grand final.
That wasn’t to be and Jones’ rugby coaching status changed dramatically with his appointment as Wallaby coach in 1984.
For the next three years, the Wallabies were brilliant winning Australia’s only Grand Slam beating England 19-3, Ireland 16-9, Wales 28-9, and Scotland 37-12.
Mark Ella set his record of a try in each game, the Wallabies scored 12 tries to one from Wales, and posted 100 points to just 33 – they were dminant and magic to watch.
Jones also added the Bledisloe in 1985, before his new broadcasting career took over in those amateur days, and Bobby Dwyer regained the Wallaby job.
Cheika won his first rugby premiership as a coach with Randwick 21 years after Jones, and went on to become the only one to win major premierships in both hemispheres with Leinster at the Henekin Cup in 2009, and the Waratahs first Super Rugby title in 2014, ending a 19-year drought.
. (Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images)
Cheika became Wallaby coach in 2014 following Ewen McKenzie’s shock resignation, and went on win the Rugby Championship in 2015 and take the Wallabies to the Rugby World Cup final later in the year, finishing as World Rugby’s coach of the year.
Both mighty impressive CVs.
The big difference so far are their career stats with Alan Jones winning 21 of his 31 Tests for a win percentage of 68, second only to Rod Macqueen’s 34 wins from 43 for a 79 per cent winning rate.
So far Michael Cheika’s stats are only eighth on the Wallaby coaching pecking order with 20 wins from 39 and a 51 per cent winning rate.
But October 28 won’t be any social event, even though it’s a week after the Wallabies play the All Blacks at Suncorp. and the week before the Wallabies set off on their annual end of year tour that will start with an historic Test against Japan in Japan.
For mine both Jones and Cheika have similar bottom lines of their teams running the ball, and entertaining.
Jones achieved all that 34 years ago, Cheika’s still trying to get the message across to his troops who are a bit slow on the uptake.
But they come from different directions.
Jones is more the brilliant motivator, Cheika is simply the coach who preaches Randwick rugby.
Jones has shown he means business by naming Quade Cooper as his Barbarian skipper, and promising to pick other unwanted Wallabies in a mixture with overseas stars.
It will be interesting to see how Cheika treats the game and who among the Wallabies will be rested.
Whatever the player outcome, the television channel or channels covering the game will need a camera apiece on Alan Jones, and Michael Cheika.
Remember they are two of the most competitive people on the planet, and television footage will prove that,
Bring it on.