Stephen Jones’ World Testimonial Tour
The most capped Welshman of all time - Stephen Jones. Photo by Getty Images.
Stephen Jones isn’t banking on a third tour with the British & Irish Lions in 2013, but he will still be piling up the air miles next year as he embarks on his ‘World Testimonial Tour’.
Wales’ most capped player with 104 appearances for his country, Stephen continues to play at the highest level with London Wasps in the Aviva Premiership, LV=Cup and the Amlin Challenge Cup, but with the heady days of the Test arena probably now a thing of the past.
Not that Stephen has ever announced his retirement from international rugby and, should Warren Gatland come calling for either Wales or the Lions, he would probably get a very sympathetic hearing.
But, for the moment at least, Stephen’s twin goals for the next 12 months or more are to help Dai Young’s Wasps side win some silverware on the field and to turn his testimonial into a huge success off it.
“I’ve been given a great opportunity to say a huge ‘thank you’ to so many people over the next year and, at the same time, to help raise awareness and money for two great charities – the Welsh Charitable Trust, which does so much good work for injured players in Wales, and the Ray Gravell and Friends Charitable Trust,” said Stephen.
“It is fantastic to get an opportunity like this at my stage of my career and to get the chance to visit so many fantastic places. It is going to be a lot of fun and, I hope, will raise a lot of money for some great causes.
“I’ve also received huge support from former team mates at both club and country level and I’m already worried about what Keith Wood is going to say when he is given the microphone as chief guest at our Irish dinner in Cardiff. Their backing will make the year all the better.”
There was only one place the ‘World Tour’ could begin and that was a couple of Stephen Jones goal-kicks away from the Millennium Stadium, The Cardiff Hilton. On Thursday night (22 November, 2012) the current All Blacks coach Steve Hansen will be the guest speaker at the sold-out Launch Dinner.
“I really enjoyed working under Steve when he came to Wales and his influence on Welsh rugby was huge, especially around the 2003 World Cup. Our performances in that tournament against New Zealand and England paved the way for the Grand Slam in 2005,” said Stephen.
“It was very kind of him to find time in his schedule to take a night off and join us at the launch. He is currently in charge of the best team in the world and it looks as though they are going to stay at the top of the world rankings for some time to come.
“I played in the last 11 games for Wales against the All Blacks, as well as three times for the British & Irish Lions, so I know how tough a side they are to play against. Their skills are immense, they are always in great shape physically and they are as tough as teak mentally .
“Everyone always ask what it is like to play against the All Blacks and to face the Haka. I think some people think it is a scary proposition, but that’s not the case.
“It is always an honour and privilege to play against such a great rugby nation and I will miss not being a part of this very special weekend in Cardiff. The Welsh players will be massively motivated to do well and will be excited at the prospect of facing the best team in the world.
“They were that throughout my career in my mind, even if they didn’t have the World Cup on their mantelpiece until last year. Now they’ve regained it, it is going to be extremely tough to take it off them again!”
Steve Hansen will be the first of two great Kiwi coaches who will pay tribute to Stephen and his great career. The other is Warren Gatland, who will be guest speaker at a very special tribute night in Hong Kong ahead of the historic game between the British & Irish Lions and the Barbarians.
The Hong Kong ‘bash’ will come at the end of a hectic month of May, which also includes dinners in Oman, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Qatar and Bahrain. Anyone wishing to join in the fun, and get involved in Stephen’s ‘World Tour’ should check out the events list on a special website www.smj10.com.
For further details on the Stephen Jones ‘World Testimonial Tour’ please contact nicjky@smj10.com – keep up to date on events via twitter using @SJ10Testimonial.
Stephen Jones’ World Testimonial Tour – Calendar of Events
22nd November 2012 SMJ10 Launch Dinner with Steve Hansen guest speaker, Cardiff Hilton, (pre Wales v New Zealand)
1st February 2013 ‘Irish’ Dinner, Angel Hotel, Cardiff, (eve of Wales v Ireland)
March / April North Wales Dinner, St David’s Park Hotel, Ewloe
April / May 2013 SMJ10 Golf Day, Celtic Manor Resort
April / May 2013 VIP Dinner, Odette’s, London
May 2013 Middle East Dinners:
- 22nd Oman
- 23rd Dubai
- 24th Abu Dhabi
- 25th Qatar
- 26th Bahrain
30th May 2013 ‘Lions in HK’ Dinner, Warren Gatland guest speaker,
Hong Kong
July 2013 SMJ10 Gala Dinner, Celtic Manor Resort
Autumn 2013 ‘Homecoming Dinner’, Aberystwyth
Autumn 2013 Llanelli Dinner, ‘West is Best’
November 2013 London Gala Dinner
Other events include – Manchester, Bristol & Birmingham – dates tbc
Dates may be subject to change
THE WORLD’S TOP PLAYERS – THE 100 CAP CLUB (as at 23 November, 2011)
NAME TEAM ERA CAPS STARTS REP PTS W L D
George Gregan Aus 94-07 139 133 6 99 93 44 2
Ronan O’Gara Ire/Lions 00-12 127 87 40 1075 72 52 3
Brian O’Driscoll Ire/Lions 99-12 126 125 1 245 75 50 1
Jason Leonard Eng/Lions 90-04 119 104 15 5 89 28 2
Fabien Pelous Fra 95-07 118 106 12 40 79 38 1
Richie McCaw NZ 01-12 114 108 6 95 101 12 1
Nathan Sharpe Aus 02-12 114 107 7 40 68 44 2
Philippe Sella Fra 82-95 111 110 1 125 70 36 5
John Smit SA 00-11 111 94 17 40 69 40 2
Stephen Jones Lions/Wal 98-11 110 91 19 970 44 63 3
Victor Matfield SA 01-11 110 105 5 35 69 39 2
George Smith Aus 00-09 110 92 18 45 65 43 2
Chris Paterson Scot 99-11 109 96 13 809 43 65 1
John Hayes Ire/Lions 00-11 107 100 7 10 67 37 3
Martyn Williams Lions/Wal 96-12 104 88 16 73 45 56 3
Gareth Thomas Lions/Wal 95-07 103 97 6 205 51 51 1
Stephen Larkham Aus 96-07 102 97 5 135 68 31 3
Percy Montgomery SA 97-08 102 90 12 893 67 34 1
David Campese Aus 82-96 101 100 1 315 67 32 2
Keven Mealamu NZ 02-12 101 69 32 60 86 14 1
Alessandro Troncon Italy 94-07 101 94 7 95 33 67 1
Mils Muliaina NZ 03-11 100 95 5 170 84 16 0
WORLD’S LEADING SCORERS – THE TOP 10 (as at 23 November, 2011)
NAME TEAM ERA CAPS PTS T P C D
Dan Carter NZ 03-12 93 1381 29 243 244 6
Jonny Wilkinson Eng/Lions 98-11 97 1246 7 169 255 36
Neil Jenkins Lions/Wal 91-02 91 1090 11 131 248 10
Ronan O’Gara Ire/Lions 00-12 127 1075 16 175 200 15
Diego Dominguez Arg/It 89-03 76 1010 9 133 213 20
Stephen Jones Lions/Wal 98-11 110 970 7 160 198 7
Andrew Mehrtens NZ 95-04 70 967 7 169 188 10
Michael Lynagh Aus 84-95 72 911 17 140 177 9
Percy Montgomery SA 97-08 102 893 25 153 148 6
Matt Burke Aus 93-04 81 878 29 104 174 1
STEPHEN JONES – WALES MOST CAPPED PLAYER
Born: 08.12.77, Aberystwyth
Height: 1.83m / 6’ 0”
Weight: 95kgs / 14st 13lbs
Wales Cap No. 966
Wales Debut: v South Africa (rep) 1998 – replaced John Funnell (Ebbw Vale) in 96-13 record defeat.
First Wales start: v Scotland 18.03.00 – scoring 2 cons, 4 pens in 26-18 win.
Wales 6N Debut: v Italy (rep) 2000
Overall Test Caps: 104 (43-3-58)
Overall Test Points: 970 (7t 160c 198p 7d)
RBS 6 Nations Record
P50 W24 D1 L25, Pts 467 (4t 69c 100p 3d)
Country P W D L Pts
England 7 2 0 5 55 (5c 15p)
France 11 3 0 8 91 (14c 20p 1d)
Ireland 11 3 0 8 107 (3t 10c 22p 2d)
Italy 10 8 1 1 103 (1t 22c 18p)
Scotland 11 8 0 3 111 (18c 25p)
Rugby World Cup Record
1999 – v Japan (rep) (Wales won 64-15)
2003 – v Tonga (Wales won 27-20) 1c, 4p
v Italy (Wales won 27-15) – (50th min rep for Ceri Sweeney)
v New Zealand (Wales lost 37-53) 4c, 3p
v England Q-F (Wales lost 17-28) 1t
2007 – v Canada (Wales won 42-17) 4c
v Australia (Wales lost 20-32) 1p
v Japan (Wales won 72-18), 5c, 1p – Captain (replaced 54 mins by Ceri Sweeney)
v Fiji (Wales lost 34-38) 2c, 1p
2011 – v Namibia (Wales won 81-7) 6c, 1p (replaced 63 mins by Rhys Priestland
v Fiji (Wales won 66-0) 4c (58th min rep for Rhys Priestland)
v France S-F (Wales lost 9-8) (50th min rep for James Hook)
v Australia Bronze Final (Wales lost 21-18) 1c (32-36 mins rep for George North / 50th
min rep for James Hook)
RWC Caps: 13 (7-0-6) RWC Points: 92 (1t, 27c, 11p)
He played most games against FRANCE 12 (3-0-9), 91pts (14c, 20p, 1d)
He scored most points against SCOTLAND 11 (8-0-3), 111pts (18c, 25p)
He played against NEW ZEALAND 11 (0-0-11), 89pts (7c, 24p, 1d)
He played against SOUTH AFRICA 10 (0-0-10), 83pts (10c, 20p, 1d)
He played 52 + 7 rep matches in WALES 26-3-30 scoring 612 pts (4t, 89c, 135p, 3d)
He was captain of WALES 8 times (1-1-6)
British & Irish Lions Record
2005 – New Zealand
1st Test, Wellington: New Zealand 21 British Lions 3
2nd Test, Wellington: New Zealand 48 British Lions 18 (rep for Jonny Wilkinson)
3rd Test, Auckland: New Zealand 38 British Lions 19 (1c, 4p)
2009 – South Africa
1st Test, Durban: South Africa 26 British Lions 21 (3c)
2nd Test, Pretoria: South Africa 28 British Lions 25 (1c,5p,1dg)
3rd Test, Johannesburg: South Africa 9 British Lions 28 (2c,3p )
Lions Test Caps: 6 (1-0-5)
Lions Test Points: 53 (7c, 12p, 1d)
Provincial matches
NZ Maori 19 British Lions 13: 1c, 2p
Wellington 6 British Lions 23 (rep for Gavin Henson)
Golden Lions 10 British Lions 74: 6c, 2p
Western Province 23 British Lions 26: 1c, 2p
Overall Lions Apps: 10 (4-0-6)
Overall Lions Points: 87 (15c,18p.1d)
European Rugby Record
Heineken Cup
Llanelli (Scarlets) ASM Clermont Auvergne
Appearances: 81 Appearances: 3
Points: 830 (7t, 108c, 190p, 3d) Points : 39 (9c, 6p, 1d)
Overall Heineken Cup record
84 apps – 869pts (7t, 117c, 196p, 4d)
Amlin Challenge Cup
Llanelli (Scarlets) ASM Clermont Auvergne
Appearancea: 2 Appearances: 4
Points; 18 (6p) Points: 47 (13c, 7p)
Overall Amlin Challenge Cup record
6 apps – 65pts (13c, 13p)
Overall European record
Appearances: 90
Points: 934 (7t, 130c, 209p, 4d)
Most Points in Season: 117 – 2001/02
Most Points in Match: 28 v Bourgoin (a) 2002/03, v Perpignan (h) 2010/11
Most Cons in Match: 9 v Calvisano (h) 2001/02
Most Pens in Match: 8 v Leicester 2001/02, v Bath (a) 2001/02, v Bourgoin (a) 2002/03
OVERALL LLANELLI / LLANELLI SCARLETS RECORD
316 matches – 2,850 points
Stephen Jones and Dwayne Peel Starts for Wales
08.06.02 v South Africa in Bloemfontein (Wales lost 19-34)
15.06.02 v South Africa in Cape Town (Wales lost 8-19)
09.11.02 v Fiji (Wales won 58-14)
16.11.02 v Canada (Wales won 32-21)
23.11.02 v New Zealand (Wales lost 17-43)
29.03.03 v France (Wales lost 5-33)
06.11.04 v South Africa (Wales lost 36-38)
12.11.04 v Romania (Wales won 66-7)
20.11.04 v New Zealand (Wales lost 25-26)
05.02.05 v England (Wales won 11-9)
12.02.05 v Italy (Wales won 38-8)
26.02.05 v France (Wales won 24-18)
13.03.05 v Scotland (Wales won 46-22)
19.03.05 v Ireland (Wales won 32-20) (Grand Slam)
04.02.06 v England (Wales lost 13-47)
12.02.06 v Scotland (Wales won 28-18)
26.02.06 v Ireland (Wales lost 5-31)
11.03.06 v Italy (Wales drew 18-18)
04.11.06 v Australia (Wales drew 29-29)
25.11.06 v New Zealand (Wales lost 10-45)
04.02.07 v Ireland (Wales lost 9-19)
10.02.07 v Scotland (Wales lost 9-21)
24.02.07 v France (Wales lost 21-32)
10.03.07 v Italy (Wales lost 20-23)
15.09.07 v Australia (Wales lost 20-32)
29.09.07 v Fiji (Wales lost 34-38)
23.02.08 v Italy (Wales won 47-8)
28.11.09 v Australia (Wales lost 12-33)
28 matches (10-2-16) Note: Peel made debut as rep for Gareth Cooper v Japan with Stephen Jones at outside half. They played together a further 15 times when Dwayne Peel was introduced as a rep; on one occasion when Stephen Jones was a rep; twice when both players took the field as reps.
Related Posts
« The GLRU announce new signings New agreement between GLRU and John Mitchell »
