RUGBY LEGEND REVEALS THE VICTORY SWEETER THAN ANY WALES OR LIONS WIN
ROBERT Jones has revealed beating Australia with Swansea was the highlight of a glittering career.
Three of the greatest triumphs of the scrum-half master-passer’s stint came against the Wallabies.
For Jones was also a key figure in the 1989 Lions Test series triumph, Wales finishing third at the inaugural World Cup of 1987 with a last-minute try by Adrian Hadley and Paul Thorburn conversion.
He also bagged a Five Nations Triple Crown in 1988 and Welsh League and Cup honours with Swansea.
But top of the tree for the former Wales captain was putting away the world champions with a convincing 21-6 triumph at a packed St Helen’s in November 1992.
Jones, who made 286 appearances for the All Whites, says it means more because he was playing for “his club” and alongside his pals.
He reflected on that famous victory ahead of the match being shown on S4C’s Clwb Rygbi, at 6.15pm tomorrow evening.
It was one of the best weeks of his playing career as he was in the Barbarians team which beat South Africa during French and world fullback great Serge Blanco’s final match before retirement.
“I was full of confidence after the big win in Lille and I was excited about the chance to try and do it again against the best team in the world,” said the now 54-year-old.
“I was confident our team was good enough to win in front of the Swansea fans at a packed St Helen’s.
“We wanted to show what we could do and the atmosphere was fantastic. It was Australia’s first game on their tour to Europe, so we thought there would be a chance of catching them cold. I think the supporters believed we were capable of beating them too.
“We were a creative team, and we wanted to play an open game. We had players like Anthony Clement, Mark Titley, Simon Davies, Scott Gibbs and Aled Williams.
“But it was raining, it was windy, the conditions were poor and we had to change our style a bit, kick the ball into Australia’s half and make sure our forwards stood up to Australia’s big pack.
“The tactics were spot on and I’d never seen the pack play like that before. Keith Colclough, Chris Clark, Garin Jenkins, Richard ‘Dick’ Moriarty, Paul Arnold, and in the backrow, Stuart Davies as captain, who was such a natural leader, Alan Reynolds and Richard Webster.
“Mike Ruddock came in to coach us, and he knew we could play rugby, but if he could bring some steel into that pack, he knew we could compete against any team in the world.
“Stuart spoke a lot of sense, he always knew what to say. He and Mike took us to a level that we knew we could beat the best team in the world.
“Australia had the biggest pack I’d ever seen. John Eales, Warwick Waugh, Tim Gavin, they were big boys, but behind them, the two that ran things for them, Nick Farr-Jones and Michael Lynagh, were not there,
so we knew that we were good enough to play the game we wanted.”
Centre Gibbs and hooker Jenkins scored Swansea’s tries with outsidehalf Williams landing a conversion, two penalties and a drop-goal for an emphatic success.
“To get a win like that, with the players you train with every week, play with every Saturday, and in their company for years, was special,” said Jones.
“It was great for someone like Dick, who was 35 and had been at the club for years and given so much, to be a part of that.
“It’s always great to do it with Wales or the Lions, but when you do it with friends you’ve had for years, it’s special for everyone.
“I think it was more important to me. Listen, I’ve enjoyed every game I played for Wales and the Lions, and I’m very lucky to have had the chance, but I’d started off in Trebanos and then went down to Swansea, and that was my club.”
Celebrations began at the final whistle with Swansea’s supporters rushing on to the pitch to hail their heroes and continued into the next day.
“We all knew it was a special day, so we wanted to have a special night. People like Garin, ‘Santa’ (Reynolds) and ‘Webby’ (Webster), knew how to celebrate properly.
“It’s years ago now of course, but it’s great to look back and I’m glad that people still remember it as an important win in Welsh rugby.”
WATCH Clwb Rygbi: Abertawe v Awstralia 1992, at 6.15pm on Saturday June 6, on S4C. Watch on demand on S4C Clic and iPlayer.