|
By Alex Goff
(Above, Jones on the attack against Claremont. Below, making the tackle and keeping his broken hand out of harm's way. Dobson Images.)
Championships produce heroes, but sometimes not on the winning side. Almost everyone who saw Claremont Colleges defeat Temple in the men’s DII college final Saturday saw how Temple outside center Gareth Jones almost led his team to an improbable comeback.
 Claremont led 25-6 when Jones cut back against the grain, carrying tacklers with him, to score Temple’s first try. And it was Jones, the captain, who made several more breaks and helped set up Temple’s second try to make it 25-19. Temple got no closer, but it was an inspiring performance, especially given that Jones played with a broken hand that forced him to decline an invitation to the next USA 7s team camp.
Jones himself didn’t really feel interested in talking about himself after the match.
“I can’t say enough about these guys,” he told RUGBYMag.com. “They’ve come through so much to even be here in the first place. I am so proud to be on the same field with these guys. I’d have loved to win but I don’t care about the score. We were just saying all year to give it our all the entire game, and we did. It’s all you can ask for.”
Along with the pain of a broken hand, Jones, whose parents are Welsh but who is from Haverford, Pa., was also carrying the pain of losing his good friend Josias Sterling. Sterling drowned in a freak accident last September. He was the team’s starting flanker, and well-liked on the squad.
“Gareth played throughout the final four with a broken hand and knee injury for the love of his team and his desire to lead them through uncharted and stressful waters,” said Temple head coach John Sciotto. “He would not let me sit him even though I spent hours discussing it with him. I might be a terrible coach for allowing him to play but we consulted his doctor about increasing the injury and he understood the risks and how it needed to be protected. He played with one hand and in more pain than most would endure. I cannot say enough words about the character of this young man. To me, he is the standard that future players should compare themselves to.”
|