They say hindsight gives you a better perspective on things – though this isn’t always the case.
Take the Vietnam War as an example. Revisionist thinking says nearing the end of the Vietnam War most Australians were against the war. This isn’t true, statistics say that little over half of the Australian population were against the Vietnam War. But factors such as personal experience can influence how we perceive past events.
The same holds true for rugby. If you were to ask somebody about Alan Jones’ reign as Australian coach, many will refer to that terrible year for the Wallabies – 1987. That year had a terrible impact on Jones’ legacy, to the point that Wallabies such as Michael Lynagh, Andrew Slack, and Simon Poidevin later confessed to being outraged when Jones’ accomplishments were belittled in the Australian media.
John Swords wrote in the Sunday Telegraph that Jones inherited a great side and that even he could have coached the Wallabies to the Grand Slam. Tony Jones in the Times on Sunday claimed Jones had severe limitations as a coach.
That was 1987, and sadly his contributions are still belittled today.
It’s worth going back into time and reading what many people wrote of Alan Jones in the hugely successful period of 1984-1986:
“British critics bracket Jones with their own beloved Carwyn James as the greatest-ever coach of a rugby team.” – Terry Smith ‘Path to Victory – Wallaby Power in the 1980s’
“What a transformation came over Australian Rugby Union in the ‘eighties! In my time the Wallabies were, for the most part, a pushover; some light entertainment in between taking on the All Blacks or the Springboks. But along came a great coach who inspired them to great deeds in the next decade, including an all-conquering tour of the United Kingdom.” – Gareth Edwards ‘100 Great Rugby Players’
“I’ll be quite controversial and say an enormous amount of it (Australia’s success), from our angle in the United Kingdom, would be the coach, Alan Jones. I think he was quite a remarkable man.” – British broadcaster Ian Robertson ‘The Rise and Rise of Australian Rugby’
Alan Jones had several traits that worked in his favour.
Firstly he was not tied down to dogma like Bob Dwyer was. While Dwyer was known for wanting ball players, Alan Jones recognised the value of having a specialist line-out jumper such as Steve Cutler.
Dwyer deserves credit for first selecting Cutler for the 1982 tour to New Zealand, however by 1983 Cutler was placed on the scrap-heap and believed he’d never play for Australia again.
Jones told Cutler he was the first player chosen for his side, and instilled in him a confident that turned him into the best line-out exponent of the 80s. Gary Whetton once said of Cuter that, “On his day, he was probably the best line-out jumper the world had ever seen, because you couldn’t beat him.” But nobody but Jones saw him for what he was capable of.
In fact Alan Jones placed a greater emphasis on the set-piece than any other Australian coach before him. His omission of Chris Roche was incredibly shrewd, but his obsession with height in the line-out resulted in the selection of David Codey – a valued member of the Wallaby squad for years to come.
And while a half-wit would have known to select Topo Rodriguez in any side, Alan Jones constantly paid for a scrum machine (out of his own pocket – these were the amateur days) to be dragged around the UK in 1984 and New Zealand in 1986.
Jones was a great selector too. While the like of Nick Farr-Jones were earmarked by the likes of Michael Hawker as a player for the future, the rookie Farr-Jones was a raw talent that didn’t quite have the crisp pass he’d develop later in his career.
Jones didn’t mind and selected him, at the expense of Phillip Cox, for the 1984 Grand Slam tour. Two tries came from Farr-Jones going down the blind against Wales, and Farr-Jones’ try against Scotland was marvellous as well.
Australia was constantly hampered by a lack of a goal-kicker throughout the early 80s, and particularly during Bob Dwyer’s reign. Jones recognised the ability of Lynagh and inserted him into the inside centre position at the expense of an in-form Michael Hawker.
I want to make this very clear. Australia would not have won the 1984 Grand Slam without Alan Jones. After watching all four Tests, it’s my opinion that Australia would have lost the game against Ireland without him. They would have lost because it was eventually Australia’s height in the line-out which gave them enough possession to win that game in the last 10 minutes.
Mark Ella, who’s made some strange contradictory statements about Jones in the past, has at least said Jones was a precursor to the like of Clive Woodward and Rod MacQueen in his professional approach. Jones was the first rugby coach in history to have assistance coaches, and would often hand out dossiers on his opposition.
To his credit, Bob Dwyer decided to keep some of the Jones ways when he overthrew him in 1988. Even more credit should go to Dwyer for acknowledging Jones’ contributions in the 80s as part of the reason for his success in 1991.
While Australia has had some great sides during the 20th century in the 20s (such as the 27-28 Waratah’s), the 30s, the late 40s (with Trevor Allen and Col Windon), the 60s (particularly that ’63 side), it’s the 1984 Grand Slam tour that’s seen as the point where Australia became a superpower.
Australian Rugby owes a great deal to Alan Jones for changing the mould of what a rugby coach should be.
Simon Poidevin commented on the special attributed on Jones in his autobiography, ‘For Love Not Money’:
“While Tempo and Dwyer were leaders in their field in specific areas, Jones was undoubtedly the master coach and the best I’ve ever played under. He was a freak. Australian Rugby was very fortunate to have had a person with his extraordinary ability to coach our national team. New Zealand’s Fred Allen and the British Lions’ Carwyn James are probably the other most remarkable coaches of modern times. But given Alan Jones’ skills in so many areas, and his record, probably no other Rugby nation in the world has had anyone quite like him, and perhaps none ever will.” – Simon Poidevin ‘For Love Not Money’
Despite whatever difficulties they had with one another, Roger Gould has gone on record many times saying Jones was the best coach he ever had.
His contributions should therefore be recognised by placing him in the Australia Rugby Union Hall of Fame class of 2009.
Alan Vella
Guest
I agree, Alan Jones should be in the hall of fame, was even a change to take over eddie jones but common sense provailed Give him the honour guys, Alan has been a wonderful contributor and Alan's name should be in the Hall of Fame. Alan Vella Sydney.
Frank O'Keeffe
Guest
I feel like writing that despite my feelings about what Farr-Jones said about Jones in his book, NFJ is still one of my all-time favourite Wallabies. I think he was a fantastic ambassador for Australian rugby. I like how down-to-earth and polite he was in his after match interviews. I think it's possible that he was Australia's greatest ever captain. Aside from that, he's probably one of the 10 best Wallaby players ever, and last year I made the call that he should be inducted into the Wallaby Hall of Fame. He was and he deserved it. To his credit, NFJ even admitted he acted poorly in 1984 when he had an argument with Jones at training before the Scottish game. NFJ always strck me as a great bloke. I just think there's some personal tension between Jones and Farr-Jones. Maybe it's a personalities clash.
Dan
Guest
Sheek, "I listen to Alan Jones regularly on the radio. I don’t like his politics, & many of his ideas. But it’s a good way to be brought instantly up to date with what’s happening in the world." Ah yes, rather like his interview with that "top bloke" Tony Zapia from the Sharks. I heard his interview with that man and I could see how listening to his show would keep one "up to date with what’s happening in the world"; he failed to ask him a single question about any of the allegations brought against him and concluded the interview by telling him to "keep up the good work"?! The man has a moral compass about as consistent as a crack whore. I listen to him for a laugh from time to time, but I read a news paper if I'm keen on being kept up to date. All this notwithstanding though, I would argue that even given his achievements, perhaps we should start honouring coaches from the 30s when we last won the bled before heading into the wilderness. Having Alan Jones as our first wallaby coach to be honoured just makes my stomach churn... It's like honouring Ted Haggard or something; you'd just feel dirty.
OldManEmu
Guest
KO - Alan Jones, for all his acheivements, is nuttier than a fruit cake. Meglomania, Narcissim, Egomaniac, Obsessive, repressed sexuality (allegedly) - he ticks all the boxes.
sheek
Guest
I listen to Alan Jones regularly on the radio. I don't like his politics, & many of his ideas. But it's a good way to be brought instantly up to date with what's happening in the world. Fortunately, I'm old enough, experienced enough, smart enough & independently minded enough, to make my mind up on issues. It's just good to have them presented clearly. There's no doubt Alan Jones is a very political animal, as is Nick Farr-Jones. And I must confess I don't have much time for Peter FitzSimons at all. Although I acknowledge his quality as a writer. There's also no doubt Brian Smith was crucified for being championed by Jones. This at a time when Jones had become poison in Australian rugby. Smith was an immmensely talented player who could have been a Wallaby great. What if Australian rugby had had a national comp in the mid-late 80s, where Smith could have showcased his talents against Farr-Jones, Slattery, Brad Burke & Ricky Stuart on a regular basis? Under different circumstances, Farr-Jones might have found himself under immense pressure to hold his place. Anyway, that's history. We can be a complicated lot, us humans!
Frank O'Keeffe
Guest
Dan wrote: "He was a good organiser though I suppose you could say; recognised that we were rubbish up front and sought help from Topo Rodriguez to boost the pack." When Alan Jones nominated for the job of Wallaby coach in 2007 I read Topo Rodriguez here, at The Roar, discuss how Alan Jones has what it takes to turn the Wallabies around. I think it's silly to simply say, "We got Topo and yeah our forwards got good". Clearly there was a lot of preparation that went into Australia's diciplined forward play from 1984-1986, and part of that should go to Alec Evans and part of that should go to Alan Jones. There's a lot of players out there who, despite their problems with Jones, have said Jones was the reason Australia started winning. Roger Gould is an example of someone who had an unhappy ending with Jones, but maintains he's the best coach he ever had. Poidevin said the same thing. Lynagh writes in his autobiography how sad it was when the journos started talking about how Alan Jones wasn't much of a coach back in 1987. He also discussed about how wrong they were in his autobiography. Farr-Jones, for all his criticisms of Jones (fair and unfair), has at least said that when Alan Jones first came into the side there was a sudden desire from everybody to work hard. Jones just infected them with a desire to prepare and work hard. You really can't diminish Jones' contributions when there are some players who've said he's the best coach they ever had, and others who say Alan Jones taught the Wallabies to win! "The rumours about him wanting to shower with the players, trying to solicit sex from that London toilet and then you hear him on radio banging on as if he’s some kind of moral arbiter for the country… the guy is just such an absolute wanker!" I don't agree with Jones' politics, but that's got nothing to do with what he did for Australian rugby. Those charges against him in 1988 were dropped because there was no evidence. "Surely there are far more worthy candidates to look to before we start scraping the bottom of the barrel with the likes of Jones. Rod MacQueen was both immensely successful and also a decent bloke - surely that’s more the kind of guy you want your organisation to be honouring…" I think Macqueen should be honoured in 2012 when its been 10 years since his retirement.
Frank O'Keeffe
Guest
I want to juxtapose something written in Rod Macqueen’s book to something in Nick Farr-Jones’ book. “The message on how far those standards had slipped was reinforced the same evening during the after-match function. Two of the senior players representing the team approached Macqueen and John O’Neill saying they’d had a get-together and needed to discuss a serious matter. Macqueen immediately brightened, believing the players had realised they needed to improve team spirit before their next Test match against England. Unfortunately the message he received wasn’t exactly what he was hoping to hear. After studying the itinerary the players had realised they would be staying in a hotel at Windsor outside London during preparation for the Test. They’d all decided it would be more appropriate if they could stay in a city hotel where there would be more nightlife. The usually affable Macqueen was shocked for the second time in the same day. Rod Macqueen: These players had just lost a Test match and were reacting in a way that I couldn’t comprehend. Here they were only hours later showing more concern about the sort of nightlife they could enjoy in London than how they were going to solve their on-field problems. I was furious. It was a real wake-up call for me. Fortunately John O’Neill saw the same situation and was equally unimpressed.” (Page 217) Now compare this to what was written in Farr-Jones’ book: “Jones finally joined them in the early afternoon when the boat pulled into a ferry wharf to pick him up and was immediately shocked to see the players drinking. The reserve centre, Anthony Herbert, was the first to receive the full force of the Jones blast as he happened to be holding a beer at the top of the gangplank when Jones arrived.” (Page 149) On one hand you have Rod Macqueen telling the players off for not being professional enough and worrying about the wrong things, and on the other hand you have Alan Jones telling players off for not being professional enough and worrying about the wrong things! Er hang on… I had a few problems with what Farr-Jones wrote in his autobiography about Alan Jones. First of all he criticises Jones for not allowing a happy hour for the team a week before the World Cup game against France. Before that he criticises Jones for putting a ban on alcohol during a boating trip he arranged for the players to relax on. Am I the only one who thinks Farr-Jones is being ridiculous? I know this was an amateur era, but these days players would be expected to give up alcohol. Let me ask you, what do you think Rod Macqueen would do, after reading that story above from his autobiography, if he saw players drinking during the tournament? There’s even a story in Farr-Jones’ book where some Wallabies were trying to put as much alcohol into Brian Smith as possible… so essentially some of them were getting drunk. I don’t think it’s too onerous to ask players to refrain from drinking during the World Cup. Secondly Farr-Jones, or Peter Fitzsimons rather, is particularly critical of Alan Jones constant pushing of Brian Smith to be placed in the Wallaby side. It’s the opinion of just about everybody that Farr-Jones was better than Brian Smith, and it’s true, but what should Alan Jones be so heavily criticised for favouring one player? This is the coach, remember, who saw something in Steve Cutler nobody else did. Bill Campbell wasn’t a reserve for Queensland when Jones selected him. Farr-Jones was playing in the second division. David Codey’s selection made no sense to anybody, but ultimately reaped tremendous benefits for the Wallabies. Why criticise his selection of Brian Smith? Even worse was it was somewhat insinuated in Farr-Jones’ book that Smith’s selection in the drawn Argentina game was a reason why Australia didn’t win that game. If Farr-Jones, or Peter Fitzsimons, are happy to write that about Brian Smith, it begs the question: why didn’t Australia beat Argentina in the second game when Farr-Jones DID play? Of course it would be ridiculous to pin the loss on one person and Farr-Jones isn’t to blame, but then again you could argue that’s what Fitzsimons did when he extracted one section of Peter Jenkins article in the Australian that was critical of Brian Smith. The fact that Brian Smith’s 26 points against the World XV in 1988 that included seven goals (from seven attempts), two drop-goals and a try was largely dismissed by the Australian public shows just how much people bought into the Alan Jones was playing favourites tag. Instead Smith’s performance should have been further proof that Alan Jones, once again, saw a young talent that nobody else recognised as being special (like Cutler, Campbell, Codey, Coker etc) that was capable of being an international Test player, which he later did prove against Ireland. I’m not saying Smith was a world-beater, but clearly his success indicates many people were wrong about him and Jones was right – he was very talented. This isn’t to say he was as suited to the halfback position as Farr-Jones. There are things I can be critical of about Alan Jones. Clearly being able to work while telling his players they have to stay in a hotel and wait for him set a bad precedent. It’s my understanding that some of the Sydney players, such as Poidevin, were able to work. But clearly when he disciplined Farr-Jones he was showing a double-standard. I think it’s pretty onerous to suggest that’s the reason Australia lost the World Cup. It’s reasonable to say it created a bad feeling amongst the side, but not reasonable to say Australia performed below expectations because of that. Michael Lynagh himself has said it’s pathetic when people say that. Jones can also be criticised for hyping his team up about the possibility of going to South Africa in 1987 to redeem themselves, and then quickly changing his mind. People talk about Jones’ radio job, but from the sounds of it THAT’s the real reason the team felt despondent during the Argentina tour. Those are the two main things I can criticise him for, that and from the sounds of it he sounded like he’d become too hard a taskmaster by 1987. That said none of this changes any of his accomplishments from 1984-1986 and many of his innovations such as assistant coaches, going so in-depth with analysing other teams, selecting sides for his gameplan (instead of selecting players for a game), were new concepts to Australian rugby. People shouldn’t try and take anything away from what Jones brought to Australian rugby. As for Farr-Jones, in an interview a few years ago he said how it’s disappointing that he can’t sit down and have a beer with Alan Jones – that there are still some hard feelings there. I believe Alan Jones even refused to attend the 20 year anniversary of the 1984 Grand Slam. Farr-Jones shouldn’t be surprised by Jones or blame him for holding a grudge. Many of his criticisms aimed at Jones in his book were unnecessary, diminished Jones’ accomplishments, made him out to sound like a psycho, and frankly the criticisms were weak – in particular the criticisms of Jones placing drinking bans on the side. It’s very easy to me to envisage Rod Macqueen placing similar drinking restrictions on the Wallabies. Jones was professional long before Macqueen came along… Just as a final note, none of Jones’ restrictions remotely compare to the drinking restrictions on NRL players these days.
Dan
Guest
KO, You're right that he got some great results, but like you, I've heard tonnes of dodgy shit about Jones... in one doco I watched they were saying that towards the end the players were basically coaching themselves because Jones' combative dictatorial approach became unworkable. They supposedly used to hold secret meetings on tactics so that they didn't have to involve him, believing him to be an inferior rugby tactician, yet one whose ego was too bloated to accept being given anything but the final say. He was a good organiser though I suppose you could say; recognised that we were rubbish up front and sought help from Topo Rodriguez to boost the pack. But honestly, even with the 84 grand slam and bledisloe clean sweep, would you really want the first coach to be added to the Wallaby hall of fame to be a lunatic like Alan Jones? The rumours about him wanting to shower with the players, trying to solicit sex from that London toilet and then you hear him on radio banging on as if he's some kind of moral arbiter for the country... the guy is just such an absolute wanker! Surely there are far more worthy candidates to look to before we start scraping the bottom of the barrel with the likes of Jones. Rod MacQueen was both immensely successful and also a decent bloke - surely that's more the kind of guy you want your organisation to be honouring...
Knives Out
Guest
He comes across as a bit odd/mad: mood swings, politicking, media arguments with Dwyer etc. You can't knock his results but that's just an observation.
OldManEmu
Guest
What do you mean by that KO?
Knives Out
Guest
Guys, I've just finished reading the Farr-Jones book and A. Jones comes across as an Australian Dr. Luyt.
sheek
Guest
Maxxy, It's an interesting conundrum - Who is the greater type of coach, the martinet or mentor? The martinet moves regularly from club to club, after periods of 2-4 years at the helm. He achieves rapid success, & just as quickly, departs. Examples being being Ron Barassi in AFL; Jack Gibson in NRL & Alan Jones/Rod MacQueen in rugby union. The mentor is able to maintain success over a long period at the one club (over 10-15 years), continually rebuilding & reinventing his team. Examples being Kevin Sheedy in AFL; Wayne Bennett in NRL & Bob Dwyer in rugby union. The truth is, we need both types. Success for the individual is knowing themselves, & when to move on, or stay. A bit of trivia on MacQueen, for those who mightn't be aware or remember. Apparently, a core of key Wallabies were fed up with him by 2001, & he departed before being pushed. MacQueen was smart enough to realise, no matter how successful he had been in the past, his magic was wearing thin. Who would want to be a coach?????
Mick Gold Coast QLD
Roar Guru
At the time Jones was appointed I was younger, more blinded by passion and right behind retaining Dwyer (even though he was from those player thieving, Eastwood beating mongrels Randwick). With the passage of time, and the development of a more considered assessment of the world, I believe the game owes Alan Jones mightily for his foresight, daring, innovation, confidence and independence to take Australian rugby up several levels. The Grand Slam also paid enormous dividends in wide publicity and new player registrations. He strode like a collossus in his time and the whole approach to Australian rugby changed for the better because of his presence. As with all outstanding leaders he was (and still is) criticised and analysed to the nth degree by those who are busy doing that sort of stuff, while he was busy doing the unpopular leadership thing. His achievements across multiple fields of endeavour mark him as an outstanding Australian.
sheek
Guest
Brett, No - more than half represents a 'majority'. In my language, 'most' would represent over say 70% to 80%! Frank, Joe French never played for the Wallabies, but was a good player for Qld. Yeah, they'll have to change the criteria eventually. Maybe they put the 'one test' in stop people voting their crony mates in!!!
Spencer
Guest
Frank - Great article! The information and context that you provide (and Sleeks additions) are enlightening. Jones is a complex character with an interesting biography and multiple achievements throughout his life; however he is not a typical Rugby man and was only involved in Rugby for a decade. I also note that you mention that to be eligible for the HOF a candidate must have played at least one test. Have I misunderstood this? Still he has some amazing achievements: not bad for a dairy farmer from the Darling Downs. I also noticed that he attended Toowoomba Grammar as a boarder (same school as Jason Little).
Frank O'Keeffe
Guest
Hmm, I didn't realise you had to have played at least one Test for Australia. Time to change the criteria I think because Australia rugby will eventually have to recognise the likes of Rod MacQueen, Joe French (I suppose he played for Australia though), Brother Bob Wallace, Alan Jones etc. Trevor Allen isn't in the Wallaby Hall of Fame either? Yikes how did I miss that one? There's an instant selection for this year if ever there was one. Of all the HOF inductees, I have to say Cyril Towers looks the most worthy to me.
Maxxy
Guest
Thanks for the supplementary info - It is difficult to use just percentages to compare as Dwyer held the job for a significant period of time and as we know in Australia the rugby seems to go in cycles. 84-86, 90-93, 98-01. Dwyer, jones and Maqueen were at the helm in each of these periods, only Dwyer worked outside these bands. There is no reason for Macqueen not to have continued to coach as he was at the helm for 3.5 seasons. Had he stayed on would his % have remained the same?? In actual fact Macqueen did two seasons at the Warringah Rats in the late 80's, two seasons at the tahs in the early 90's then stopped, two seasons at the Brumbies then went to the Wallabies. That is 10 seasons between 1987 and 2001 out of a possible 15 so he was certainly smart at when to start and stop. I only use this to illustrate that it is hard to compare as Dwyer coached continuously over these decades and logic suggests that the odds would catch up with you. While Jones was successful over a short period he missed success in the RWC in 87 and we had a very good squad - the others took their opportunities. The other point worth noting is that Macqueen was successful in the professional era where you needed to manage players and staff 24/7. This was not the case in the Jones/Dwyer eras where players still needed to go to work - again difficult to compare the impact of the coaches as their roles would have been very different day to day - Food for thought
Brett McKay
Guest
Frank, i might have spotted another 2am typo: "..nearing the end of the Vietnam War most Australians were against the war. This isn’t true, statistics say that little over half of the Australian population were against the Vietnam War." I'd reckon a "little over half of the Australian population" IS "most Australians"!! Anyway, that aside. I'm not old enough recall the Jones era with any detail (I have memories, and I know Jones was the coach, but I was in Primary school!), but having read the Chris Masters biography, it is quite clear that Jones' methods and results were unprecedented at that time. He certainly wasn't universally popular, but his results speak for themselves. I do wonder if the ARU will always hold his involvement/friendship with Ross Turnbull against him though. I mean really, how seriously would John O'Neill have taken his "application" before Robbie Deans was ultimately appointed??
sheek
Guest
OME, You're right. The blurb says you must have played at least one test for Australia to be considered for the Wallaby hall of fame.
sheek
Guest
Gidday Frank, The first inductees (inaugural) into the Wallaby hall of fame occurred in 2005. So the concept is in its infancy. This is how they've been voted in so far. 5 in the first year, 3 every year since. Sooner or later they'll drop down to two, I'd imagine. 2005 - Ken Catchpole (NSW) - scrumhalf. 2005 - Mark Ella (NSW) - flyhalf. 2005 - Tom Richards (Qld) - flanker. 2005 - John Thornett (NSW) - utility forward. 2005 - Col Windon (NSW) - flanker. 2006 - John Hipwell (NSW) - scrumhalf. 2006 - Nick Shehadie (NSW) - prop/lock. 2006 - Cyril Towers (NSW) - centre. 2007 - David Campese - ACT/NSW) - winger. 2007 - Tom Lawton snr (Qld) - flyhalf. 2007 - Mark Loane (Qld) - eightman. 2008 - Weary Dunlop (Vic) - lock. 2008 - Nick Farr-Jones (NSW) - scrumhalf. 2008 - Des Connor (Qld) - scrumhalf. All the names you mentioned - Michael Lynagh, Simon Poidevin, Johnnie Wallace, Peter Johnson - are eminently worthy. Trevor Allan is another. They'll all get there eventually, although I guess there is a bit of hierarchy to this. If Lawton & Towers are there, the you would think Wallace's time is soon. If Windon & Shehadie are there, then ditto Allan. If Ella, Campese & Farr-Jones are there, then ditto Lynagh & Poidevin. Yeah, I don't know exactly how they do it. Perhaps minimum one pre-war & one post-war, one forward & one back. Connor also coached the Wallabies as well as playing for both the Wallabies & All Blacks. Sooner or later, they're going to pick someone purely as a coach. In this case, I think Alan Jones is very much deserving. Although i don't think he's the flavour at the ARU, & hasn't been for a long time!