Despite appearances – it wasn’t a coup for the Kangaroos to meet and pose for photos with rock star Jon Bon Jovi at Wembley yesterday.
It was a coup for Jon Bon Jovi.
“A manager came up to me and said would it be alright if he went out there and met the team,” revealed Rhodri Jones, the managing director of Rugby League Commercial after one of the most celebrated frontmen in rock history crashed Australian’s captain’s run on Ashes eve.
After throat surgery that threatened his career, the 63-year-old New Jersey icon is putting the band back together for a world tour and is visiting the venues in search of publicity.
He brandished a hurley at Dublin’s Croke Park the previous day but RL and JBJ did not initially know each other were at Wembley on Friday.
England had the stadium booked between 10am and 11am, Bon Jovi’s promoters between 11am and 2pm, and Australia between 2pm and 5.30pm. Had England coach Shaun Wane not cancelled his team’s visit, it’s the host country’s players and sponsors who would have benefited from the global publicity.
Legendary singer Jon Bon Jovi joins the Kangaroos at Wembley.
©Grant Trouville
As it was, media in attendance to interview Wane were ordered inside before Bon Jovi walked down the tunnel to conduct interviews following a media conference inside.
But after Bon Jovi’s minders shunned the rugby league media earlier, the man himself decided to court the cameras when he saw them.
“We thought we just missed him… he was here about an hour ago and he popped back up again” said Australian forward Reuben Cotter, as surprised as anyone when JBJ emerged and walked down the touchline to join the players and staff for a photo opportunity at the start of their session.
Steely focus for the green and gold ahead of the first Ashes Test.
©Grant Trouville
Asked if any of the players were Bon Jovi fans, Cotter responded “all of them” and reported that one team-mate “snuck in a hug”.
“Kevin Walters!” the coach said, sticking out his hand to the megastar.
Others sang ‘Livin’ On A Prayer’ and when a ball was thrown to the frontman, he caught it like a winger.
“Roos, get ’em tomorrow!” he told the team social media crew.
And as he returned to the tunnel, Bon Jovi promised he would be “down in Australian soon”.
After once admitting he stole the line “sons of beaches” from Australian Crawl, he had this to say when asked if he had ever seen rugby league. “I have seen it on television. These guys are tough sons of bitches. It’s football without helmets.”