THIS WONDERFUL, WILD, glorious adventure in the coaching world that Felix Jones is enjoying started with a call from the late Anthony Foley.
Jones was forced to retire from playing in 2015 at the age of just 28 due to a neck injury, but he had already shown an inclination towards coaching as a studious, relentless, thoughtful fullback who starred for Munster and won 13 Ireland caps.
Foley had made Jones the Munster captain for a few matches, underlining how highly he rated the Dublin native, so it was no surprise that he called him up soon after his enforced retirement to ensure Jones’ intellect and work ethic stayed in Munster.
In the bowels of the Stade de France last night, with his second World Cup winner’s medal around his neck, a deeply grateful Jones recalled getting that call from ‘Axel.’
“He just rang me and said, ‘Listen, come out to training and throw your two cents in,’” said 36-year-old Jones. “It was that informal.”
It was the seventh anniversary of Foley’s death last week, with Ireland having marked it by forming the figure of eight before their World Cup quarter-final against New Zealand, while the date wasn’t lost on Jones either.
He was in Paris with Munster when Foley passed away in 2016.
“It’s crazy thinking back to it because Rassie, Jacques, and Fla, we were all there the morning that it happened.”
Jones underlines his gratitude towards Foley for giving him a shot as a coach, adding, “He didn’t have to do that.”
It was during the 2015/16 season when Jones went out and visited schools and clubs to pick up as much as he could about the art of coaching. He was also studying for a Master’s degree in sports, exercise, and performance psychology at the University of Limerick and had two young kids with his partner, Lyanne.
It was a remarkably busy time for Jones, who also had to deal with his enforced retirement from playing, but he made an impression in Munster and when Rassie Erasmus was appointed as director of rugby, he hired Jones as backs and attack coach on a permanent basis.
Last night, he and Erasmus and Jacques Nienaber, who was also with Munster in 2016 and 2017, became back-to-back world champions with the Springboks.
“It feels a little bit surreal now, I won’t lie,” said Jones. “It’s crazy.
“It’s more that I’ve been looked after very well by many people. Axel and Jerry Flannery helped me a lot at the beginning and still now to this day. Rassie, Jacques, Joe [Schmidt].
“There are many guys who helped me along the way and there are so many club coaches, amateur coaches, and professional coaches that I reached out to and they’ve all helped. To be honest, I’ve just been given a leg-up by a lot of people.”
Jones spent a week with Schmidt’s Ireland in 2017 and it was a little strange that they were on opposite sides as the Boks prevailed against a New Zealand team that has undergone major improvement since Schmidt joined their coaching set-up.
Jones and Schmidt had a chance to chat last night after the game, but the former Munster man was the one celebrating.
Jones’ family were in Paris for the final, with his sons Freddie and Alfie proudly showing off their dad’s medal, and there was the usual level of support from back home.
“My family are here,” said Jones. “It’s only a short hop from there to Paris, so it was amazing to share it with them. I’ve had people flying in but I’m not the only one.
“There’s Jean Kleyn, there’s RG [Snyman] in Munster, there’s Damian de Allende, who played at Munster. We’ve Paddy Sullivan here, who was an analyst at Munster. He’s helping us out. There are many of us pulling in the same direction, making it work.”
Jones always mentions the alignment and togetherness in Springboks camp. He’s been with them for more than four years now, but it took him a while to get his head around what really makes South Africans tick.
As this World Cup showed yet again, they were remarkably resilient and adaptable on the rugby pitch, even under the most intense pressure.
“I think it’s probably a reflection of life in South Africa,” said Jones. “You can’t dwell on negatives there. You have to make a plan and find a way. It is that simple, and it’s taken a long time for me to comprehend.”
He’s thankful for everything South Africa rugby has given him and Jones will enjoy these World Cup celebrations before moving on to the next chapter as an assistant coach with Steve Borthwick’s England.
That will cut down on the time he has been spending commuting to South Africa from his family home in Dublin, but it means ending his coaching relationship with Erasmus and Nienaber.
“They just complement each other so much in how they operate,” said Jones. “It’s almost impossible to describe, you just have to see it. It’s unbelievable, the two of them in action together.”
Of course, Jones will see plenty of Nienaber and his family in Dublin, with the Springboks head coach moving on to join Leinster as a senior coach.
Jones raves about Nienaber’s work ethic and ability to get players on the same page, while he will enjoy giving him a few restaurant and pub recommendations.
“There will be a few! He’s not staying too far away from the family home.”
As for Jones, he will add serious know-how to the English coaching group despite his relative youth.
He’s now eight seasons into his coaching career with a CV that includes two World Cup winner’s medals and a Lions series success.
Given his appetite for improvement and his sheer desire to win, this certainly isn’t a finishing point. There’s lots more to come from this talented young Irish coach.
