Thirty two years ago, a young openside flanker called Michael Jones lit up the 1987 Rugby World Cup for the All Blacks by playing a game no one had seen before from a forward.
The then 22-year-old had excellent anticipation, electric pace, brilliant handling skills and a set of shoulders which regularly performed the equivalent of firmly shutting a door on an opposition player. Jones, who later became known as the Iceman, played with balance and grace but he was occasionally brutal too.
He could apparently do it all and quickly became a favourite for kids everywhere. Everyone wanted to be like Michael Jones. Now it seems they all want to be like Ardie Savea, an All Black who received one of the loudest cheers from the crowd bathing in the afternoon sunshine at Waikato Stadium before the recent test against Tonga.
And no wonder. Wallabies coach Michael Cheika recently referred to Savea as a "hybrid" type of loose forward who could play any of the three back-row positions, but the 25-year-old showed in the 92-7 romp against the All Blacks' South Pacific neighbours that he's that and a little more.
Savea is a once-in-a-generation type player who has the pace and rugby nous to play in the midfield or on the wing, a player even his All Black teammates look at and shake their heads at what he's doing on a pitch. Like Jones, Savea can do it all too, and he's about to do it in front of millions on the biggest stage.
