Why is Michael Jones famous?

Answer 1

Michael Jones (the Iceman) is considered by some to be one of the greatest (if not the greatest) Rugby players to have played the game. He was a supremely gifted athlete : He was fast, athletic, had great ball skills, was a punishing tackler, could distribute ball like a centre and he re-invented the role of openside flanker for the modern game. He was charismatic, polite, humble and soft-spoken and as such was greatly respected by his fellow players. He played 55 tests for the All Blacks but his career was curtailed by injury ( his knee injury in the 1989 match against the pumas is an excriciating thing to even behold and something few other players would have come back from) and his religious beliefs which made him unable to play on Sundays. He has the distinction of being the first player to ever score a try in World Cup Rugby when he scored in the opener against Japan in 1987 and he repeated the feat by being the first try scorer at the 1991 Cup. He switched to the blindside flank and had a standout season in 1996 when his strength, commitment and ferocious tackling were vital elements in the All Blacks' record 43-6 win over the Wallabies, and their first test series win over the Springboks in South Africa. Most recently he had the job of coaching Manu Samoa at the 2007 World Cup.