VIDEO: Boks’ Irish coach calls team truly special

DUBLIN, IRELAND: Felix Jones is widely regarded by the players and his fellow coaches at the Springboks as an exceptional coach whose influence has elevated the entire squad.

Since rejoining the Springboks this year, the Irishman’s new position within the Boks set-up saw him take up a roving role in various departments with their preparations ahead of matchdays.

Springbok flanker Kwagga Smith once summed up Jones simply: “He’s an amazing coach and person. All of us as Springboks are better players because of him.”

As recently as 2015, Jones was still playing fullback for Munster and Ireland, winning 13 Test caps before a neck injury ended his career at just 28.

Since then, he has built a reputation as a sharp, modern-minded coach with an obsession for detail.

“You think you’ve got a good pass,” Smith said, adding: “Until he shows you the footage and says, ‘Listen, this is how you do it.’”

As the Boks prepare to face Ireland at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin on Saturday, it is a place that the Dublin native knows well. His rugby worldview broadened during his years at Munster, where New Zealander Rodd Penney heavily influenced him.

But the partnership he formed with Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus and Jacques Nienaber during their Munster tenure in 2016-17 truly accelerated his coaching rise.

Part of Ireland’s renowned 2007 Under-20 Grand Slam side, Jones made just one appearance for Leinster before moving to Munster, where he played nearly 100 games, won the Pro12 in 2011, and carved out a versatile, industrious role across the backline.

Eight of his 13 Test caps came under Joe Schmidt, who valued his work rate and adaptability.

Forced into retirement, Jones transitioned seamlessly into coaching, first as Munster’s technical coach under Anthony Foley.

Erasmus later took charge following Foley’s sudden passing, further shaping Jones’ development.

His next step was a short-term role with South Africa as a defence consultant – rather than a direct replacement for Swys de Bruin – and he quickly became integral to the Springbok setup.

Alongside fellow Irishman Jerry Flannery, Jones played a crucial behind-the-scenes role in South Africa’s Rugby World Cup triumphs in 2019 and 2023.

Although he later joined England’s coaching team, Jones returned to the Springboks earlier this year as an assistant coach, bringing his meticulous eye and calm authority back into the fold.

This week, another Irishman, former hooker Bernard Jackman, boldly stated that the Springbok team is 15 points better than any team in the world.

Rugby365 shared this comment by Jackman with Jones and asked him, as an outsider, what makes this Springbok team so successful and so special.

“Those are nice words by Bernard, but every week we see people say things – whether we come off a win or a loss or a good performance or a poor performance – there are people on the outside that will say something,” Jones commented, and added, “Sometimes it’s good and sometimes it’s not so nice.

“We always stay in what we say as our reality and keep that as close to the truth as we can.

“And we do that through being honest with each other, and we try not to get too far ahead of ourselves and try not to get too low when things don’t go our way.

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Jones was kept quite busy this week with the hearings of locks Franco Mostert and Lood de Jager. He serves on the calibration group committees, which relate to refereeing decisions.

Everyone in the Springbok squad always refers to Jones as the hardworking coach who can always be found in front of his laptop, if not on the training field.

“In terms of what it’s like to be in this team, you can’t really describe it. Words can’t really do it justice.

“Just these last two weeks have been a really good example of how tight the team is, particularly in adversity when there are red cards and yellow cards.

“And what nobody can really see is what is happening at halftime or down at the bench from the guys who aren’t even involved.

“Who are surely disappointed that they aren’t going to play at the Stade de France or play at an amazing stadium like the Juventus stadium against a really strong Italian team.

“And how they were helping their fellow teammates, guys whom they are competing with, to want to play in that position.

“How people come up with plans at halftime to try and find solutions for us.

“There is just no fakeness.

“It’s real.

“That’s probably the specialness of this team, if that’s a word. You can’t really describe it.”