How Eddie Jones and the Wallabies are plotting Rugby World Cup ‘smash and grab’
Once a week, Eddie Jones and his Wallabies inner-circle dial in for a Zoom meeting with one key focus – defying the odds and pinching the Rugby World Cup.
Warming to the Wallabies coach’s ‘smash and grab’ theme, belief is growing Australia can win their first Webb Ellis Cup since 1999 and return to the top of the rugby hierarchy.
Jones has not yet named a captain for the showpiece event – which kicks off in Paris, France, on September 8 – but is leaning on veterans such as Michael Hooper, Allan Alaalatoa, Nic White and James Slipper to help build a team that could strike through a wide-open World Cup field.
“The leaders are getting together once a week with Eddie … to talk about our learnings throughout Super Rugby but also about gameplay,” Alaalatoa said on Thursday.
“We’re continuing to get together once a week collaborating ideas, what we’re feeling, what we’re seeing and what we’re learning.
“There’s no time to waste and as leaders we’re trying to make the most of every opportunity when we’re not together as a team.
“We’ve got a lot of fathers in the crew, so they’re later in the night when the kids are asleep.
“It’s not something we’ve done in the past, so it’s good to keep in touch and understand what Eddie’s thinking because he’s a wise man, he gets the game.”
Mindset will play a key role for the Wallabies, with players and coaches regularly searching for the extra mental steel to ready them for battle.
White said Jones had joked the team’s psychologists were working so hard they could benefit from a session themselves.
“No stone is left unturned … it’s going to take all leaders and even guys outside of that group,” he said.
“No one person is going to be able to go over there and have made that much of a difference … (we’re) going to have a certain mentality around leading and everyone knowing their strengths and weaknesses.
“There’s a pretty cool feeling around Australian rugby at the moment.”
Looking back to April’s Gold Coast training get-together, a first peek into Jones’ personnel plans for the tournament which kicks off in 100 days, White said: “From that camp, everyone came out going ‘gee whiz … make sure you’re part of it’.
“There’s a real what we’re calling a ‘smash and grab’ opportunity there.”
Alaalatoa said Jones’ faith that Australia can take home the trophy was spreading to the players.
“When the boys left the camp, there was a lot of belief we can win the World Cup,” he said.
“How (Eddie) speaks and how he presents himself in front of the boys in the meetings … he’s constantly ingraining that in the players’ minds.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Yes, Fiji can win the World Cup! With that belief plus their christian faith🙏 and hard work it is achievable. Great article. Ian Duncan Fiji resident 1981-84
2 Go to commentsInteresting comments about Touch. England’s hosting the Touch World Cup this year and the numbers have exploded since their last World Cup in 2019, something like 70% more teams and 40 nations taking part. And England Touch have made a big thing about how many universities are in their BUCS University Touch Championship as well as Sport England membership. Can only see this growing even more domestically as more people become aware of it
10 Go to comments“Cortez Ratima is light years ahead of anyone on current form, while TJ Perenara has also skyrocketed into contention following the unfortunate injury to the talented Cam Roigard.” At last some sanity. Hitherto so many pundits have been wittering on about Finlay Christie to the point one wondered if they were observing a FC in a parallel universe where the FC they saw wasnt just the mediocre Shayne Philpott project of Fosters hapless AB reign in the real world. Ratima, Perenara and Fakatava are the ONLY logical 9s for Razor now Roigard is crocked.
2 Go to commentsThis game was just as painful as the Hurricanes game. It was real fork-in-the-eye stuff.
2 Go to commentsNow if they could just fire the Crusaders ground PA guy who likes to play his dance music and just loves the sound of his own voice the entire game, even when play is going on. And I thought their brass band thing of a few years ago was bad.
5 Go to commentsUnfortunately when you lose by far the two form players this season in Roigard and Aumua, you're left replacing two game changing Tanks with a couple of pea-shooters. Which is also about the speed of TJs pass.
2 Go to commentsBit rich coming from the guy with zero loyalty to anyone or any team, including happily taking a players place in a league world cup squad because well, SBW wanted to play in it and thus an already named player got told he was no longer going. And airing stuff like this, which may or may not be true, doesn't exactly say you're a stand up guy either SBW. Just looking to keep his name in lights as usual.
38 Go to commentsTamati Tua. …the Taniwha NPC midfielder. Ollie Sapsford, Hawkes Bay NPC midfielder…doing well
2 Go to commentsFiji deserve to be in the rugby championship, fans love seeing the Fijian national team play, the Fijian Drua is a wonderful idea but the players can still be stolen to play for NZ and AUS…
2 Go to commentsThe first concern for this afternoon are wheather forecast…
1 Go to commentsWhy cant I watch Rugby games please?
1 Go to commentsBeautiful shot from Finau, end of story. Gutted for Shaun Stevenson though.
4 Go to commentsThe Chiefs definitely didn’t win ugly. They had the superior scrum, a dominant lineout, and their defence was excellent once the Waratahs scored their two tries (thanks to some lucky refereeing calls mind you). They put pressure on the Waratahs lineout throughout the game, and the mind boggles as to why the referee did not award a yellow card or a penalty try against the Waratahs for repeated scrum infringements on their own try line before Narawa’s first try. And the Chiefs were slick with their passing and running angles on attack. It was a dominant performance all round, even with many questionable refereeing decisions.
1 Go to commentsWasnt late. Ref 2 assistants andTMO all saw it so who are you to say it was?
4 Go to commentsAre the Brumbies playing the Blues twice in a row?
4 Go to commentsBig difference from the Saders. Forwards really muscled up and laid a solid platform. Scooter brought some steel and I liked the loosie combination. Newell has been rather disappointing this season but stepped up big time - happy also to see Franks dot down. He should do that more often! Reihana had a good game and there seems to be more flair and invention with him in the saddle. McNicoll plays well from the back and is reliable plus inventive when he joins the line. Keep it up chaps!
5 Go to comments🤦♂️🤣 who cares who’s the best . All I know is the All Blacks have the star coach but have few star players now …
34 Go to commentsJe suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
1 Go to commentsAn on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to comments