Northern Edition

Select Edition

Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
New Zealand New Zealand
France France

Jones in 'no doubt' Australia will bounce back to beat Wales

By PA
Head Coach, Eddie Jones speaks to media during an Australia Wallabies press conference ahead of the Rugby World Cup France 2023, at Stade Roger Baudras on August 31, 2023 in Saint-Etienne, France. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)

Eddie Jones says he has “no doubt” that Australia will beat Wales in Sunday’s crunch Rugby World Cup clash.

ADVERTISEMENT

The Wallabies know that a loss in Lyon would effectively dash their hopes of securing a quarter-final place.

They have never made a pool-stage exit in nine previous World Cup campaigns, but it is now a realistic prospect following defeat against Pool C rivals Fiji last weekend.

Wallabies head coach and former England chief Jones has had to endure fierce criticism from a number of former Australia internationals, particularly after the Fiji loss.

He remains defiant, though, as Australia tackle opponents buoyant on the back of successive bonus-point victories over Fiji and Portugal.

“I’ve let Australian rugby down. I haven’t done the job I was brought in to do. I was brought in to turn it around, so I feel that responsibility,” Jones said.

“Last week was a difficult game for us, and we have bounced back really well and prepared really well for this game. So we will go out there and give it a red-hot go.

ADVERTISEMENT

“The way the team has prepared, the way they’ve come together, I’ve got no doubt we will win on Sunday. But if we don’t, then sometimes you have got to do the work.

“At the end of the World Cup there will be a review. And given the results we’ve had then maybe Australian Rugby doesn’t want to keep me. That is the reality of the job I live in and I understand that.

“I don’t know of any team that you can come in and blow magic over. You have got to go through a process and you have got to find out what’s wrong with the team and then you have got to try to address those problems.”

Sunday’s game pitches Jones against Wales boss Warren Gatland, continuing a healthy rivalry that has seen them in opposite corners many times during their coaching careers.

ADVERTISEMENT

“I have always got on well with Warren,” Jones added. “We would usually have a curry together when we were coaching in the Six Nations.

“But it is a little bit different out here. We are in the middle of nowhere, so it is hard to find where you can get a curry.

“He brought some young players in, and now has gone back to the senior players. It has gone back to a more Gatland style of rugby.

“(Wayne) Pivac (Gatland’s predecessor) wanted to play that more traditional side-to-side style, whereas Warren plays a more pragmatic style with high kicking and high contest.”

Related

Jones, who has made three changes to his line-up against Wales, including a start at fly-half for Ben Donaldson and Andrew Kellaway featuring in the full-back role, is relishing Australia’s backs-to-the-wall status.

“When you coach, you make a choice to put yourself in these positions. If I didn’t want to put myself in these positions, I could be teaching,” he said.

“I could have a nice life and get up every morning, the wife puts the packed lunch in the bag, I put a shirt and tie on, know I’m going to teach six periods, come home, wash the dog, clean the car, watch Channel 7 or ABC news and then get the packed lunch ready for the next day.

“I could have done that, mate, but I made a choice to coach.

“We’ve got 10 times’ more people here than we normally do for an Australian press conference because people smell blood. That makes it even more exciting.”

Team Form

Last 5 Games

1
Wins
2
3
Streak
2
17
Tries Scored
16
-77
Points Difference
0
2/5
First Try
3/5
2/5
First Points
4/5
2/5
Race To 10 Points
3/5
ADVERTISEMENT

LIVE

{{item.title}}

Trending on RugbyPass

Comments

2 Comments
W
Willie 446 days ago

Thankfully Ed is not teaching. It is bad enough having 30+ players confused but imagine the chaos if he taught thousands of kids.

U
Utiku Old Boy 447 days ago

".. I’ve got no doubt we will win on Sunday. But if we don’t..."

Typical Eddie-speak.

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Features

Comments on RugbyPass

O
OJohn 1 hour ago
Will overseas selection make the difference for British and Irish Lions?

The trouble with appointing a coach from one state that is not the Tahs, is that the p.... at the Tahs will start weedling away immediately on ways to undermine the non Tah coach.


It's what the private school toffs do. They have a born to rule mentality, even tho they are complete failures. That is why they will only tolerate Tah coaches or weak kiwis they know they can control. A kiwi on a million Australian dollars a year will do anything the largest franchise in Australia tells him to do. He's only here for the money.


That's why Ewen McKenzie was the ideal candidate, even tho Hooper and Beale still set out straight away to undermine him to get Cheika installed but the next best alternative is to have a group of coaches from some of the franchises, except the Tahs, (not the Western Force with kiwi Cron - who is hopeless), to keep the Tahs in their place. The Wallabies must also not have more than 3 Tah players in the squad. Otherwise they will start scheming again under instruction from the NSW administration. The Tahs have spent the last 20 years undermining the Wallabies to get more players than they deserved in the squad. Their NSW egos are more important to them than the Wallabies.


I can't see why a triumverate of Super Rugy coaches can't coach the Wallabies too. I could include MacKellar in there as well but he has shown himself to select on favoritism rather than ability based on the ridiculous number of sub standard Brumbies who got a game under Rennie. He's not much of a Queenslander but the Tahs will stab in the back in a flash too eventually.

74 Go to comments
TRENDING
TRENDING Steve Hansen's claims that All Blacks were 'robbed' of World Cup shot down 'Robbed' fans react to former All Blacks coach's bold statement
Search