The former Ebbw Vale back row stalwart died on 1 July, 2022, at the age of 88 after battling a short illness. He won three caps, scoring in his second game against Ireland in 1963, and also played against the 1963 All Blacks for the Combined Abertillery & Ebbw Vale side.
Born in Garndiffaith on 24 November, 1933, he learned his rugby at Abersychan Grammar School and played for Pontypool as a centre before joining the RAF to complete his National Service. That was when he converted into a rampaging back row forward.
Having played in the Ebbw Vale trials at the start of the 1960-6` season he made his debut in the opening game of the season against Blaina. He went on to become a real fans favourite with the Steelmen, making more than 150 consecutive appearances.
He followed Graham Powell (debut v Ireland 1957), David Nash (debut v SA 1960) and Denzil Williams (debut v England 1963) in being picked for Wales. The great Scotland and British & Irish Lions wing Arthur Smith was also capped while playing at Eugene Cross Park in the later fifties and early sixties.
‘Bunner’ Jones made rapid progress after joining the club and earned a Welsh Trial in January, 1963, packing down in the Possibles back row with Roger Michaleson and Dai Hayward. The other two were picked for the opening game of the Five Nations against England, but Jones had to wait until the second round of the championship for his chance.
Both Michaelson and Hayward were jettisoned after defeat in Cardiff to the English side and Jones joined Alun Pask and Haydn Morgan in a new look, all-Gwent back row for the trip to Murrayfield. He was one of three debutants, along with centre Ron Evans and wing Billy Morris, at Murrayfield on 2 February, 1963, when Wales beat Scotland 6-0.
His Ebbw Vale teammate Denzil Williams was in the front row in a game that became infamous for the tactics used by Wales skipper Clive Rowlands in kicking to touch so often. It became known as the game of 111 line-outs.
There were also 38 scrums and at around 15 seconds for each line-out, and 20 seconds each for the scrums, the set-pieces accounted for around 28 minutes at the line-out and a further 12 minutes, 30 seconds – more than a full half of rugby at 40 minutes, 30 seconds!
He then played in the 14-6 home defeat to Ireland in March and won his third and final cap in the 5-3 defeat to the French in Paris. It was at the Arms Park on 9 March, 1963, against the Irish he scored his only international try.
“Not since 1932 Ireland had not won at Cardiff and Welsh hopes were high when from the first scrum of the match the ball shot out to Robert Morgan on the wing and he went clear for 13 yards before passing inside to blind-side wing forward Graham Jones of Ebbw Vale, who kicked over the full back’s head and beat several players for the all-important touchdown.”
After leaving Ebbw Vale, he captained Cwmbran and went to to have two spells as chairman at that club. He also coached their youth team and was a Monmouthshire selector, the team with which he won the Welsh County Championship in 1961 and 1963.
The WRU sends sincere condolences to the family and friends of Graham Jones.
