• Home
  • /
  • Rugby
  • /
  • Stephen Jones Hammered For 'Bizarre' All-Time XV, Featuring Two Irish Players

Stephen Jones Hammered For 'Bizarre' All-Time XV, Featuring Two Irish Players

Stephen Jones Hammered For 'Bizarre' All-Time XV, Featuring Two Irish Players
Rory Cassidy
By Rory Cassidy
Share this article

One of rugby's most divisive pundits Stephen Jones reflects on forty years of covering the game for the Sunday Times today.

The Welshman has saw a lot across four decades and during that time has never shyed away from offering up a controversial opinion which gets people talking.

In 2023 Jones opted to chose more French than Irish players in his Six Nations Team of the Tournament despite Ireland winning the Grand Slam.

Mack Hansen, Hugo Keenan, Caolan Doris and Andrew Porter were just some of the Irish players who made the cut, while Tadhg Furlong was included despite only playing in two games.

More recently Jones wrote an article that was deeply "insulting" to the Irish women's rugby team suggesting that their Six Nations clash with England should be called off.

"It's insulting to what we do every day. It's insulting to how we have to mentally and physically turn up every week, how hard we work, what we analyse, how painful it is after matches that you lose when you know that you aren't good enough," Ireland's Dorothy Wall said.

Even less than a month ago Jones was still causing controversy as an article he wrote had to be deleted containing mistruths about Rugby Sevens.

Advertisement

He wrote about the London Sevens tournament, hammering it, despite the fact it hadn't even happened.

Stephen Jones hammered for 'Dream Team' selection

His latest downright bizzare decision is the 'Dream Team' he has named covering his forty years on the beat.

Recommended

Only two Irish players make the cut, Tadhg Furlong and Rob Kearney.

Advertisement

There is no place for Brian O'Driscoll, with All Black Frank Bunce selected at 12.

Elsewhere at out-half Argentina's Juan Martin Hernandez is Jones' pick, a decision that would boggle the minds of most rugby fans.

Perhaps unsurprisingly Jones has been hammered on Twitter for his decisions, with people questioning the use of 'Dream Team' and what exactly his interpretation of that phrase is.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Jones also includes five highlights over the past forty years, including this year's Heineken Champions Cup Final between Leinster and La Rochelle.

"The Heineken Champions Cup final in April at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin was pure, epic drama. Leinster came storming out of the blocks with an early 17-point lead, only for the mammoth La Rochelle pack to take over completely, forcing Leicester into desperate defence and winning deservedly. It proved that there are still contrasting ways to win a game of rugby," he writes.

Jones, who still uses a copytaker to get his points across, is going nowhere and will probably have a few more head-scratching takes before the start of the Rugby World Cup in September.

SEE ALSO: Rob Kearney Points Out A Key Selection In The Irish XV For The World Cup Warm Ups

irish rugby world cup jimmy o'brien rob kearney
Join The Monday Club Have a tip or something brilliant you wanted to share on? We're looking for loyal Balls readers free-to-join members club where top tipsters can win prizes and Balls merchandise

Processing your request...

You are now subscribed!

Share this article

Copyright © 2024. All rights reserved. Developed by Square1 and powered by PublisherPlus.com

Advertisement