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Jones urges on Pacific brothers
Rupert Guinness in Montpellier | September 28, 2007
WHEN Tonga defeated Samoa to stay in the hunt for a World Cup quarter-final berth, losing coach Michael Jones was gutted. In fact, Jones rates the 19-15 loss as the lowest point in Samoan rugby.
"This defeat against Tonga really turned my stomach. It was the darkest day in Samoan rugby history," the former All Black told French newspaper L'Equipe in a wide-ranging interview.
But Jones, who coached Samoa for the last time in their final group game against the United States in Paris on Wednesday, is still buoyed by what awaits Pacific islands rugby in this World Cup. If Tonga beat England in Paris on Friday and Fiji defeat Wales in Nantes on Saturday, both sides will play in the quarter-finals.
"We're excited for Tonga and Fiji, we've sent a letter of support to them," Jones said. "It's important one of us does something well for the smaller nations. We're right behind our Pacific brothers."
It is a testament to Pacific islands rugby that, though strapped for cash, resources and international competition, they still have two sides close to making the quarter-finals.
Jones firmly believes that the Pacific islands should be brought into the Super 14 and Tri Nations tournaments. "We could put our top 40 players under contract, work with them for six months and then build tactical strategies," Jones said.
"But it is a vicious circle. You need to get results to be integrated. But today you can't get results unless you are in a professional structure.
"And while we progress slowly, the big nations like New Zealand, Australia and South Africa progress in an exceptional way."
Jones was critical of the unions of those three countries, which collectively run the Tri Nations. "[They] have a narrow view on what should be the future of their competitions. The public needs something else," he said, adding that a Pacific islands selection as well as Japan and Argentina could be added to an expanded competition.
"The moment it comes to sharing the cake, nobody would want to cut it into six pieces, instead of three," he said.
Jones was also adamant the World Cup should not be reduced to 16 teams. "I believe it should be opened to 24 teams," he said. "If we reduce it, that would be a tragedy for nations like Tonga, for example, who are capable of beating us in a match and who could just disappear in world rugby."
For Samoa's sake, Jones believes the International Rugby Board's eligibility laws need to be slackened for those with Samoan heritage playing in New Zealand.
"You need to remember those Samoans are, above-all, New Zealanders and proud to be so … [but] the rules need to be less strict for Samoans who will never be in the All Blacks."
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