Hallas pays tribute to friend and team mate Jones

Championship winning centre Derek Hallas has led the tributes to his friend and former team mate Lewis Jones after the announcement of Jones’ passing at the age of 92.  

Hallas scored two tries in Leeds’ first ever Championship win in 1961 against Warrington at Odsal with the side skippered by Jones. It was just one of dozens of cherished memories that the pair shared together. Hallas, who joined Leeds in 1959, says that playing alongside Jones was always a privilege. He recalled, “What do you say about someone who was so different from anyone else I ever played with or against? His record for goal scoring was incredible and I often wonder what his tally would have been in the modern era with kicking tees and decent pitches. To have played at the side of him was something special, he was unique. It was a privilege to have played with him. 

“We often talk about great players. There are lots of good players but not many can be classed as greats and Lewis is in that ‘greats’ category. When I think back to the Championship Final in 1961, I had the honour of being on the end of some good play to score a couple of tries but I always used to joke with him that it could have been a hat trick! He broke through in the closing stages and I chased after him in support. I’m thinking to myself ‘here you go Derek, it’s going to be a hat trick’ but then Lewis stepped the full back Fraser and went in for the try. Lewis was always such a great provider for his team mates, I’m sure Fraser, like me, was expecting the pass but you could never second guess what Lewis would do. 

“I always knew Lewis would give me half a yard on my opposite number and that made all the difference. When I got the ball, I knew I would be in space and it was then my job to make sure I knew where Wilf Rosenberg was on the wing. It sounds simple but I just expected it from Lewis. I knew at some point of the game I would get that pass to put Wilf away and I had to be ready.

“The fact that the club will play tribute to Lewis at the Saints game at Headingley next week is fitting as it was the same opponent and venue when he had one of his greatest games in the 1961 Championship semi final. That day Lewis decided he was going to ‘play’! I always thought that Saints made an error when they moved Alex Murphy to stand off, he had normally played at scrum half and was used to getting the ball straight from the base of the scrum but he was getting it one man further out. Lewis was marking him and he had him wrapped up all day long. 

“Not many people out played Alex, who himself is one of the game’s greats, but Lewis did that day. Our forwards got us possession and Lewis dictated the rest. The famous try of Wilf scoring in the corner to send us to the final started with Lewis getting the ball to me, he created the half chance and we took it. Wilf scored 44 tries that season and I’d say 40 of them were created by Lewis. Unfortunately, I don’t have the appropriate words to fully describe just how great a player Lewis was, I’m not sure words could ever do him justice,” added Hallas. 

Hallas met up again with Jones in Australia after their days in Leeds. He revealed, “The married players with kids always used to hang around together after a game. We’d go to one another’s houses whilst the single lads went out on the town. That meant our families were all very close and it was like one big family.  

“I went to Parramatta in 1963 and our families used to meet up when Lewis came over to player for Wentworthville. We lived in Parramatta and Wentworthville was just the other side of Parramatta Park. I think they had hopes of getting into the main competition back then, the NSWRL, when two new teams were going to be added in 1967, in the end Cronulla and Penrith got in. Lewis was far too good for the District competition he ended up playing in and they won everything when he was there. I used to go and watch him if we weren’t playing and tell him that he was better than the competition but he was so laid back, he would shrug it off and tell me he was enjoying playing his rugby and if they wanted him, he was happy to play there,” added Hallas. 

The pair remained close friends long after their playing days when both returned to West Yorkshire. Hallas added, “I will miss Lewis terribly. I used to pick him and bring him to Headingley each home game, go in the Taverners Club and he enjoyed still being involved at the club. He was never shy to give his opinion but it was great to see him around Headingley. He will be sadly missed by everyone,” added Hallas.