Luke Maxwell Jones

The legendary Roy and HG had Luke Jones pegged from the start. In 2002, courtesy of his dad winning a competition, an 11-year-old Jones ran the match ball for a Bledisloe Cup Test onto Telstra Stadium. Ground announcers for the match, Roy and HG, commentated the moment during which HG declared: “You just have to squint halfway and, gee, he reminds me of Ealesy so much.”

Jones was a schoolboy prodigy out of St Pius X College where he played alongside future Wallaby great Michael Hooper. He represented Australian Schools in both 2008 and 2009, the second year as captain, winning a total of 9 caps. Versatile, hardworking, committed, athletic and consistent, Jones was one of the most exciting young forwards in the country. When he agreed terms with the Western Force, aged just 18, Jones became the first forward in the history of Australian rugby to sign a full-time professional contract while still in school.

In 2010, Jones made his Super Rugby debut before his 19th birthday when he came off the bench to partner Nathan Sharpe in the Force’s 19-47 loss to the Hurricanes in Wellington. He then represented Australia in their second place finish at the 2010 IRB Junior World Championship in Argentina. A busy season was topped by a Shute Shield grand final victory with Sydney University.

Recruited to the new Melbourne Rebels franchise for 2011, Jones played just a single game however he did enough in the club’s foundation year to win the ‘Rebel Rising Player of the Year’ award. Jones also attended his second Junior World Championship, held in Italy.

In 2014, and on the back of a highly consistent season with the Rebels, Jones broke into the national squad under Ewen McKenzie, debuted against France in Melbourne, and then Michael Cheika took him on the end of season tour. However, that is where “the Test trail went cold” and in 2015 he watched on as Kane Douglas, Ben McCalman, Sean McMahon and Dean Mumm secured spots in Australia’s run to the final of the Rugby World Cup.

A year later, Jones left Australia when he signed to play in France with the Bordeaux Bègles only to make an early return to the Rebels for the 2019 season with an aim of winning selection in the Australian side for the Japan World Cup. Jones was arguably in career best form leading into the Test season with his performance against the Reds, where it was written that he “delivered the best Scott Fardy impersonation seen in Australia since 2017”, a definitive highlight. Incredibly, despite winning caps against Argentina, New Zealand and Samoa, Michael Cheika again left Jones’ name off his final World Cup squad.

Jones found his way back to France and the Top 14 in 2020 when he linked up with Kurtley Beale at Racing 92. He played 38 matches with Racing over two seasons before the Queensland Reds lured him back to Australia. In 2023, Jones retired from rugby having battled injury over the final year of his professional career.

Highlights

2014

Jones won his first Test cap off the bench when he replaced James Horwill at lock in the 6-0 victory over France in Melbourne. He made his first run-on XV appearance, at flanker, in the 23-36 loss to Ireland in Dublin and then picked up a third cap a week later in the loss to England at Twickenham.

2019

Four years, seven months and 28 days after this most recent Test, Jones returned to international rugby in the 16-10 win over Argentina at Suncorp. He also made appearances against New Zealand in Perth and Samoa at Parramatta.