Educated at Porth Secondary School, and although wanting to play association football was forced towards rugby union as a schoolboy through the sporting curriculum of Llandovery College.
[3] Before his eighteenth birthday Jones was already playing for Pontypridd and Cardiff, but after leaving Llandovery he was accepted into Cambridge and was selected for the university's rugby team.
Jones was a controversial choice as his inclusion split the half back unit of Haydn Tanner and Willie Davies who had been key in Swansea's victory over the All Blacks three months previous.
[5] In a tight game, which saw Wales's Don Tarr leave the field with a broken neck, Jones finished on the winning team as the All Blacks lost 12–13.
Wales may well have taken the title, after also beating Ireland, but were denied a win when Scotland were awarded a penalty two minutes before time when an unconscious Welsh player was deemed to be lying purposefully on the ball.
Jones was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 1979 New Year Honours "for services to rugby football in Wales",[8] and in 1991 was inducted into the Welsh Sports Hall of Fame.