Sir Michael Niko Jones (born 8 April 1965) is a New Zealand former

rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...

player and coach. Jones was a member of the Auckland team which dominated New Zealand rugby in the late 1980s and 1990s, and the Auckland Blues team which won the first two Super 12 championships, in 1996 and 1997. He played once for Western Samoa, and 55 times for New Zealand, including winning the first Rugby World Cup in 1987. He was known for his Christian beliefs, which meant he chose not to play on Sundays. He was named by ''

Rugby World ''Rugby World'' is a monthly rugby union magazine running since October 1960. It is published monthly by Future plc and edited by Joe Robinson. Long-standing editor Paul Morgan left in January 2012. Morgan was long considered a leader in the in ...

'' magazine as the third best

All Black The New Zealand national rugby union team, commonly known as the All Blacks, is the representative men's national team in the sport of rugby union for the nation of New Zealand, which is considered the country's national sport. Famed for th ...

of the 20th century after

Colin Meads Sir Colin Earl Meads (3 June 1936 – 20 August 2017) was a New Zealand rugby union player. He played 55 test matches (133 games), most frequently in the lock forward position, for New Zealand's national team, the All Blacks, from 1957 until 1 ...

and

Sean Fitzpatrick Sean Brian Thomas Fitzpatrick (born 4 June 1963) is a New Zealand former rugby union player. He played for the dominant Auckland team in the late 1980s and 1990s, and won the first two Super 12 titles with the Auckland Blues in 1996 and 1997. ...

. John Hart, who first selected him for

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

, called him "almost the perfect rugby player". After retiring as a player, he served as coach of Samoa from 2004 to 2007. He was knighted in 2017 for services to the Pacific community and youth.

Early years

Jones was born in

, New Zealand, and grew up in Te Atatū South, a suburb in the west of Auckland, attending Edmonton Primary, Rangeview Intermediate and Henderson High School. His talent for playing was discovered early, as a 10-year-old tackling 15 to 18 year-olds at the weekend kick-abouts at the primary school. He played for the primary school team when still in standard one, when he was three years younger than the other players and by the time he attended Henderson High School, he was already well known locally. He then helped turn a mediocre high school first XV into a successful rugby team that could compete with Auckland Grammar and Kelston Boys High (the regional heavyweights) for the first time. He played for the local Waitemata Rugby Club and it wasn't long before the Auckland representative team (coached by John Hart) took notice.McConnell, Robin (1994). ''Iceman – The Michael Jones Story'' (1st ed.). Auckland – Rugby Press.

Playing career

Jones played initially as an open side flanker, and made his provincial debut for Auckland aged 20 in the 1985

National Provincial Championship The National Provincial Championship may refer to: * National Provincial Championship (1976–2005), original competition before reform into 14 sides * National Provincial Championship (2006–present) The National Provincial Championship (NP ...

, scoring three tries against

South Canterbury South Canterbury is the area of the Canterbury Region of the South Island of New Zealand bounded by the Rangitata River in the north and the Waitaki River (the border with the Otago Region) to the south. The Pacific Ocean and ridge of the S ...

. He also played for New Zealand Colts. He made his international debut for

Western Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa and known until 1997 as Western Samoa, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania, in the South Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main islands ( Savai'i and Upolu), two smaller, inhabit ...

, for whom he qualified through his mother, in 1986. After one cap for Samoa, and a British tour with the New Zealand Barbarians in 1987, he first played for New Zealand in the first game of the inaugural World Cup in the same year. He scored the first try of the tournament and played in four games, including the final, as New Zealand went on to win the competition. Jones's career was blighted by injuries, notably two serious knee injuries (in 1989 and 1997) and a broken jaw in 1993. Due to this he only played 55 international games during a period when New Zealand played almost 90 internationals, even though he was usually first choice whenever fit. His international career was also affected by his strong Christian beliefs, as he refused to play on Sundays. Although he was selected for the 1987 and 1991 All Black World Cup squads, he missed three Sunday games in the 1991 tournament due to his religious beliefs. Jones was omitted from the 1995 squad as he would have been unavailable for the quarterfinal and semifinal games. He was once asked how a Christian such as himself could be such an uncompromising tackler. In reply he quoted a phrase from the Bible: it's better to give than to receive. In the Rugby Almanack of New Zealand, he was selected as one of the "Five promising players" from the 1985 season and one of the "Five players of the year" for the 1988 and 1991 seasons. Jones was a member of the successful Auckland and

Auckland Blues The Blues (; known as the Auckland Blues from 1996 to 1999) are a New Zealand professional rugby union team based in Auckland, who play in the Super Rugby competition. Like New Zealand's four other Super Rugby teams, the Blues were established b ...

teams which dominated New Zealand rugby in the late 1980s and 1990s. Between 1985 and 1999 Auckland won 9 NPC titles, 5 Super 6 championships, and defended the

Ranfurly Shield The Ranfurly Shield, colloquially known as the Log o' Wood, is a trophy in New Zealand's domestic rugby union competition. First played for in 1904, the Shield is based on a challenge system. The holding union must defend the shield in challenge ...

a record 61 consecutive times (between 1985 and 1993), while the Blues won the first two

Super 12 Super Rugby is a men's professional rugby union club competition involving teams from Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands. It has previously included teams from Argentina, Japan, and South Africa. Super Rugby started as the S ...

competitions in 1996 and 1997. In 1997 he succeeded

Zinzan Brooke Zinzan Valentine Brooke (born Murray Zinzan Brooke on 14 February 1965) is a former New Zealand rugby union footballer who played at number eight. Brooke played 58 tests for New Zealand, and 42 non-international matches for the All Blacks. He ...

as captain of Auckland and the Blues. Due to his sporting successes, Jones was one of the most recognisable

Samoan New Zealanders Samoan New Zealanders are Samoan immigrants in New Zealand, their descendants, and New Zealanders of Samoan ethnic descent. They constitute one of New Zealand's most sizeable ethnic minorities. In the 2018 census, 182,721 New Zealanders identifie ...

figures in the country in the 1980s. He was an outstanding openside flanker, and scored 13 international tries. Later in his career, and after his injuries had reduced the speed which characterised his early career, he played predominantly as a blindside flanker or number eight. In 1998 he was dropped from the New Zealand team at the age of 33 after a loss over Australia and retired at the end of the 1999 season.

Coaching career

On 7 April 2004 Jones was appointed national coach of Samoa, replacing New Zealander

John Boe John Boe (born 23 November 1955) is a New Zealand former rugby union footballer and a current coach. He played as a centre, before moving to fly-half. He played for Waikato Colts, but never had a competitive game for the All Blacks, despite bei ...

. He had previously served as Boe's assistant coach during the 2003 World Cup. In 2007, just after the players flew out to New Zealand to prepare for their tour of South Africa, there was speculation that Jones had resigned as coach. However, after talks with the Manu Samoa Union over whether his role should become full-time until the World Cup, Jones joined the team on tour.

After rugby

Since 2002, he has been Village Trust

food bank A food bank or food pantry is a non-profit, charitable organization that distributes food to those who have difficulty purchasing enough to avoid hunger, usually through intermediaries like food pantries and soup kitchens. Some food banks distrib ...

manager in

Avondale, Auckland Avondale ( ) () is a suburb of Auckland, New Zealand, located to the east of the Whau River on the Auckland Isthmus. Avondale was established as a small settlement but grew following the establishment of a railway line, which in turn led to the ...

. Due to demands of the food bank, he declined invitations to be enlisted for Match Fit series in 2020 and 2021/22, but made an appearance in 2020.

Personal life

Jones graduated from the University of Auckland with three degrees: a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

, and Bachelor of Planning. Jones and his wife Maliena have three children.

Awards and recognition

Jones was awarded the

New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal The New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal was a commemorative medal awarded in New Zealand in 1990 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, and was awarded to 3,632 people. Background The New Zealand 1990 Com ...

, for service to the Pacific Island community. In the

1997 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1997 were appointments by most of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries, and honorary ones to citizens of other countrie ...

, Jones was appointed a

Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit The New Zealand Order of Merit () is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have ...

(MNZM), for services to rugby. In 2003, he was inducted into the International Rugby Hall of Fame. He was promoted to

Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit The New Zealand Order of Merit () is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant (document), royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Monarchy of New Zealand, Queen of New Zealand, "for th ...

(KNZM) in the

2017 Queen's Birthday Honours The 2017 Queen's Birthday Honours were appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms of Elizabeth II, Queen Elizabeth II to Orders and decorations of the Commonwealth realms, various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by c ...

, for services to the Pacific community and youth. New Zealand sculptor Natalie Stamilla created a bronze statue of Jones, depicting his try at the

1987 Rugby World Cup The 1987 Rugby World Cup was the first Rugby World Cup. It was co-hosted by New Zealand and Australia – New Zealand hosted 21 matches (17 pool stage matches, two semi-finals, the third-place play-off and the final) while Australia hosted 11 mat ...

. The statue was unveiled in 2011, and is located outside of

Eden Park Eden Park is a sports venue in Auckland, New Zealand. It is located three kilometres southwest of the Auckland CBD, on the boundary between the suburbs of Mount Eden and Kingsland. The main stadium has a nominal capacity of 50,000, and is s ...

in Auckland. Jones has been given the '' matai'' title (Samoan chiefly title) of ''La'auli'' and ''Savae'' from his '' ‘aiga'' (extended family). In 2025, Jones was inducted into the

Pasifika Rugby Hall of Fame The Pasifika Rugby Hall of Fame is a figurative hall of fame dedicated to rugby union players of Pasifika heritage who have shaped the sport of rugby. The hall was established in 2024, with the first inductions made at a gala dinner at Eden Park ...

Honours

Auckland

* National Provincial Championships: 1985, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1999 *

holder

Auckland Blues

champion:

1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...

1997 Events January * January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States. * January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis. * January 1 ...

New Zealand

Rugby World Cup The Men's Rugby World Cup is a rugby union tournament contested every four years between the top international teams, the winners of which are recognised as the World championship, world champions of the sport. The tournament is administer ...

winner:

1987 Events January * January 1 – Bolivia reintroduces the Boliviano currency. * January 2 – Chadian–Libyan conflict – Battle of Fada: The Military of Chad, Chadian army destroys a Libyan armoured brigade. * January 3 – Afghan leader ...

* Tri-Nations winner:

References

External links

*
Waitemata Rugby Club
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Michael Niko 1965 births New Zealand rugby union players New Zealand rugby union coaches New Zealand sportspeople of Samoan descent New Zealand international rugby union players Samoa international rugby union players World Rugby Hall of Fame inductees Auckland rugby union players Blues (Super Rugby) players Rugby union flankers University of Auckland alumni Rugby union players from Auckland Knights Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit Living people People educated at Henderson High School, Auckland Rugby football people awarded knighthoods New Zealand Christians Samoa national rugby union team coaches 1987 Rugby World Cup players 1991 Rugby World Cup players