Mark Jones, the battler who fought for Neath, dies aged 59

WHEN the original All Blacks dared to be the last Welsh team to go the distance with the New Zealand version, nobody gave more to the Neath cause, as usual, than the back row forward they nicknamed 'Scooby-Doo'.

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Mark Jones relished nothing more than a good fight in every sense. Rather than wait for one to break out elsewhere on the field, he would start one of his own and the All Blacks at the Gnoll in October 1989 presented the chance of a life-time; a 15-rounder against the global champions then two years into their defence of the World Cup.

A shy, polite man off the field, on it Jones' persona could change into a fury which drove him to blow his top like Vesuvius. His was a fearless and fearsome presence in the last great Welsh team of the amateur era, season 1989-90 when Neath played 48 matches, winning 45 by an average score of 39-9.

New Zealand were one of only three teams to beat them, 26-15 but not before Neath had taken them the distance.