Phil Kingsley Jones

Description

Phil Kingsley Jones: How Did I Manage That? will have you laughing in the aisles and reaching for a tissue and is a must-read for anyone who has ever cared about rugby, Jonah, comedy, Wales, or working your bollocks off to earn a penny or two. Coal miner. Stand-up comedian. Manager. Phil Kingsley Jones has done it all, but is known best for his association with rugby's most explosive player - the great Jonah Lomu. While the giant wing terrorized opponents on the field, Kingsley Jones masterminded his rise from humble bank clerk to millionaire sportsman. Kingsley Jones and writer John Matheson take you inside his friendship with the rugby colossus to reveal the inner secrets of rugby's most famous partnership, including the heartbreak of Lomu's career-threatening kidney complaint. HOW DID I MANAGE tHAt? is more than a book about rugby, with the enduring Welshman sharing his upbringing in the Welsh valleys - including his marriage at 16 and becoming a father at 17 - as well as his show business career after winning the popular UK television show 'New Faces'. After working the tough comedy club circuit in the UK, Kingsley Jones appeared on high-profile tV shows, and worked as a stand-up comedian alongside some of the biggest names in show business, including Cliff Richard, the Beach Boys, Neil Sedaka, Gene Pitney, and Roy Orbison. His move to New Zealand in 1983 saw him go from opening for international stars to selling pies. In those days he played rugby, for Mt Roskill in Auckland. Eventually he became coaching director for Counties, where he met a shy 13-year-old boy called Jonah . . .

This is John Matheson's second book in the Celebrity Portraits series, the first being TANA - A Tribute to a Rugby Legend. John has previously penned Rushie, Stacy Jones, Life on the Run, the best selling biography on All Blacks great, Christian Cullen and many more. Throughout his 20 years in journalism he has worked in Auckland, Christchurch, London and San Diego. In New Zealand he has worked for the Auckland Star and Sunday Star, contributed to the New Zealand Herald and the Dominion, and is still the longest serving editor of NZ Rugby World. He is currently an Assistant Editor and Sports Editor at Sunday News.