Comeback kid Luke Jones says he’s cut out for life at the new improved Melbourne Rebels

The reality of just how much Luke Jones had changed since his first stint at the Melbourne Rebels was clearly evident after the win against the Brumbies, proving the old saying of less is more sometimes rings true.

Luke Jones of the Rebels (right) celebrates a Bill Meakes try during the Round 3 Super Rugby match between the Melbourne Rebels and the Highlanders at AAMI Park.

The reality of just how much Luke Jones had changed since his first stint at Melbourne Rebels was evident after the Round 1 win against the Brumbies in Canberra.

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When Jones played his first game for the Rebels in their maiden season in 2011, he was 20, single and had a full head of hair.

Now 27, the 197cm lock has returned to the club after three years in France and he is married, has two kids, and less hair.

And after a deal he made with his new teammates, what little hair Jones had left is now gone.

“My hair had been annoying me for a while and I said to some of the guys that if we beat the Brumbies away, I’d shave it,” Jones told the Herald Sun this week.

“I just said it to a few guys as a bit of laugh.

“But you know what rugby players are like, they don’t ­forget these things.

Luke Jones (right) celebrates a Bill Meakes try against the Highlanders last Friday.

“One of the guys brought the clippers to the changerooms just in case, and they did it there and then. I was ready.”

That Jones was willing to bet his hair on a game against the Brumbies was another indication of how far the Rebels have come since he left.

His first match was a 41-21 loss to the Cheetahs in South Africa, and in Jones’ six seasons and 72 games at the Rebels, their best return in one year was seven wins.

But word had spread to France, where Jones was playing with Bordeaux, that things were changing in Melbourne under coach Dave Wessels.

Jones got that feeling, too, after meeting Wessels in Sydney before the 2018 season.

“I liked what he had to say about where he was taking the club,” Jones said.

“He was very upfront about what they were expecting, how they wanted to attack their season. That appealed to me.

Luke Jones says the Rebels are definitely heading in the right direction.

“And then, of course, there’s playing for the Wallabies again in the World Cup. It is something I want to do.”

Jones made his Wallabies debut in 2014, and Wallabies coach Michael Cheika is ­believed to have been involved in talks for him to return to Australia.

There were offers from other Australian teams, but Jones had heard too many good things about his former club to not come back and see for himself.

“I have a lot of friends who either recently left the team or are still here, like Tom ­English,” he said.

Luke Jones when the hair was a little longer.

Luke Jones on the burst for the Rebels in 2016.

“They told me what I now know, that it is a completely different club. It’s very professional, and a very accountable environment. It’s a place that has huge opportunity.”

In France those opportunities included seeing as much of Europe as he could.

There were regular weekend trips to London, and visits to Germany, Portugal and Spain.

From his South Yarra base, Jones knows it would now take him three or four hours just to leave the state.

But that’s fine, because his goals are all about rugby and, with the new Rebels, winning more games than he loses.

“I feel like I have purpose with a club that is headed in one direction; we all have the same objective and it’s a great group of guys who are very connected and have huge ­potential,” Jones said.

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Originally published as Comeback kid Luke Jones says he’s cut out for life at the new improved Melbourne Rebels