1
'Shaking my head' Eddie Jones pens open letter about the Wallabies
New Wallabies boss Eddie Jones has penned a lengthy open letter to Australian rugby fans on the opening weekend of the 2023 Super Rugby Pacific season. The tournament kicked off for Aussie teams with the Waratahs hosting the Brumbies in Sydney on Friday, with the Reds hosting the Hurricanes and the Force at home to the Rebels on Saturday.
ADVERTISEMENT
Jones spoke at his media briefing unveiling last month about wanting crowds to attend franchise matches in large numbers and he has now followed up this desire by contacting fans via a letter circulated by rugby.co.au which he began by expressing his amazement that he was so suddenly back working in Australian rugby.
He had originally been contracted to take England through to the end of the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France, employment that would this weekend have seen him coaching the English versus Wales in Cardiff in the Guinness Six Nations.
However, he was abruptly dismissed from that role in early December after just a single Autumn Nations Series win in four Twickenham matches and Rugby Australia moved quickly after that to recruit Jones as an immediate effect replacement with the Wallabies for Dave Rennie through to the 2027 Rugby World Cup.
Here is the Jones letter in full about being so suddenly in charge of the Wallabies and his take on the new club season: “Tonight, Australia’s Super Rugby players return to competition. The meaningful contest for Super Rugby competition points and Wallabies team positions begins. In a Rugby World Cup year, as a coach, you always expect to see more. You expect the best from the players.
“I’m still shaking my head as to how I ended up here as Wallabies coach. There was the swift and unexpected departure from my job as coach of England in London, a brief period of contemplation in Tokyo and a decision; then arrival in Sydney. There were plenty of people telling me not to do it. There was the comfortable option of sitting in a commentary box and helping some tier-two teams get ready for the World Cup but when Hamish McLennan came knocking, he wasn’t taking no for an answer.
“The chance to coach my home country at the Rugby World Cup in France was an opportunity too good to pass up. Hamish made the point that you just never know what is around the corner. This chance was never going to come again. In the end, it was an easy yes. Since then, it’s been all go. Meetings with staff and senior players and visits to trial matches in Griffith and Narrabri confirmed what I already knew from afar.
ADVERTISEMENT
“Australia has the talent to win the Rugby World Cup in Paris on October 29. Right now, we don’t have the team, but we do have the talent. We also don’t have a clear path from where we start today to where we want to end up. Ultimately, that path will be carved by the Australian players and the choices they make between now and then. That path will be created by the standards the players set for themselves and their teammates.
“It will be about the things they are prepared to give up and miss out on. Coming off a short preparation and with a win record of 13 from the past 35 matches, the Wallabies winning the Rugby World Cup will take a supreme effort against high-quality opposition. During Super Rugby, I will be watching to see how the players apply themselves not only during the games but in the warmups and warm-downs. How they perform and present themselves on and off the field.
“I will be looking to see how they communicate and how they work to improve their Super teams and their teammates. I’ll be looking for players who are working harder than they have ever worked before and who are being genuinely honest with themselves and their coaches.
“Australia needs players who are curious and bring new ideas and fresh thinking to the task of making the Wallabies the best team in the world. We need players who are disciplined and determined and desperately want to win. Players who are accountable, who are prepared to break new ground and who keep setting the bar higher for themselves and their teammates.
ADVERTISEMENT
“Every decision they make must be a decision that takes us forward to our goal of winning the Rugby World Cup. My job is to create a Wallabies team environment where players flourish but ultimately to be successful, it must be the players that drive it.
“We start the Super competition with a couple of local derbies and the Reds hosting the Hurricanes in Townsville. The Waratahs vs Brumbies on Friday and the Force vs Rebels on Saturday are an opportunity for players to line up against the other players who want the same Wallabies jersey. These one-on-one contests are meaningful and important. I always say that players select themselves and I can’t wait to see which players emerge to demand selection.
“As we start this year, there are players in the Super Rugby squads who are hiding in plain sight. They are the players who may not yet have the reputation but are prepared to make the sacrifices and go the extra mile. They are the players who may previously have not been selected for the national team because they didn’t put the effort in.
“All I can say to each and every one of our Super Rugby players is that we will be watching and that ultimately it will be up to you. I’d encourage you to think of the prize of being in a World Cup-winning team.
“Being part of a World Cup-winning squad is a memory that can never be taken from you. An achievement that will be with you forever. But they are memories that must be earned by the effort and sacrifice you are prepared to bring. Enjoy the season, work hard and yes, I will be watching.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Will rugbypass tv be showing these games?
1 Go to commentsWell where do you start, the fact that England have a professional domestic league and Ireland’s is fully amatuer, that they have fully seperated professional squads at Fifteens and Sevens (7’s thinly disguised as GB), and Ireland have fully pro Sevens squad who loan some players back to the Semi-Professional Fifteens squad (moved from amateur for only a year or so) for a few games at 6N & RWC’s. The Women’s games is a shambles, and is at risk of killing itself by pushing for professionalism when the market isn’t really there to support it outside one or two countnries..
2 Go to commentsWayne Smith's input didn't have as much impact on the last final as Davison's red card for Thompson. England were 14 points up and flying when that happened.
2 Go to commentsBilly's been playing consistently well for 2 - 3 seasons now and deserves a look in at the top level. Ioane and ALB are still first choice but there needs to be injury cover and succession. His partnership with Jordie gives him first dibs you'd think. Go the Hurricanes.
3 Go to commentsIt’s not up to Wales to support Georgian Rugby. That’s up to International Rugby and Georgia. I sympathise with Georgia’s decent attempt to create this fixture. But for Wales the proposed match up is just a potential stick to beat them with and a potential big psychological blow that young Welsh team doesn’t need. (I’m Irish BTW.)
2 Go to commentsCale certainly looks great in space, but as you say, he has struggled in contact. At 23 years old, turning 24 this year, he should be close to full physical maturity and yet there exists a considerable gap in the power and physicality required for international rugby. Weight doesn’t automatically equate to power and physicality either. Can he go from a player who’s being physically dominated in Super rugby to physically dominating in international rugby in 1 or 2 years? That’s a big ask but he may end up being a late bloomer.
28 Go to commentsIf rugby wants to remain interesting in the AI era then it will need to work on changing the rules. AI will reduce the tactical advantage of smart game plans, will neutralize primary attacking weapons, and will move rugby from a being a game of inches to a game of millimetres. It will be about sheer athleticism and technique,about avoiding mistakes, and about referees. Many fans will find that boring. The answer is to add creative degrees of freedom to the game. The 50-22 is an example. But we can have fun inventing others, like the right to add more players for X minutes per game, or the equivalent of the 2-point conversion in American football, the ability to call a 12-player scrum, etc. Not saying these are great ideas, but making the point that the more of these alternatives you allow, the less AI will be able to lock down high-probability strategies. This is not because AI does not have the compute power, but because it has more choices and has less data, or less-specific data. That will take time and debate, but big, positive and immediate impact could be in the area of ref/TMO assistance. The technology is easily good enough today to detect forward passes, not-straight lineouts, offside at breakdown/scrum/lineout, obstruction, early/late tackles, and a lot of other things. WR should be ultra aggressive in doing this, as it will really help in an area in which the game is really struggling. In the long run there needs to be substantial creativity applied to the rules. Without that AI (along with all of the pro innovations) will turn rugby into a bash fest.
24 Go to commentsSouth Africa rarely play Ireland and France on these tours. Mostly, England, Scotland and Wales. I wonder why
2 Go to commentsIt was a let’s-see-what-you're-made-of type of a game. The Bulls do look good when the opposition allows them to, but Munster shut them down, and they could not find a way through. Jake should be very worried about their chances in the competition.
2 Go to commentsHats off to Fabian for a very impressive journey to date. Is it as ‘uniquely unlikely’ as Rugby Pass suggests, given Anton Segner’s journey at the Blues?
1 Go to commentsSad that this was not confirmed. When administrators talk about expanding the game they evidently don’t include pathways to the top tier of rugby for teams outside of the old boys club. Rugby deserves better, and certainly Georgia does.
2 Go to commentsLions might take him on if they move on Van Rooyen but I doubt he will want to go back, might consider it a step backwards for himself. Sharks would take him on but if Plumtree goes on to win the challenge cup they will keep him on. Also sharks showing some promising signs recently. Stormers and Bulls are stable and Springboks are already filled up. Quality coach though, interesting to see where he ends up
1 Go to commentsAnd the person responsible for creating a culture of accountability is?
3 Go to commentsMore useless words from Ben Smith -Please get another team to write about. SA really dont need your input, it suck anyway.
264 Go to commentsThis disgraceful episode must result in management and coach team sackings. A new manager with worse results than previous and the coaching staff need to coached. Awful massacre led by donkeys.
1 Go to commentsInteresting article with one glaring mistake. This sentence: “And between the top four nations right now, Ireland, France, South Africa, and New Zealand…” should read: And between the top four nations right now, South Africa, Ireland, New Zealand and France…”. Get it right wistful thinkers, its not that hard.
24 Go to commentsHow did Penny get the gig anyway?
3 Go to commentsNice write up Nick and I would have agreed a week ago. However as you would know Cale & co got absolutely monstered by the Blues back row of Sotutu, Ioane and Papaliti and not all of these 3 are guaranteed a start in the Black jumper. He may need to put some kgs before stepping up, Spring tour? After the week end Joe will be a bit more restless. Will need to pick a mobile tough pack for Wales and hope England does the right thing and bashes the ABs. I like your last paragraph but I would bring Swinton, Hannigan into the 6 role and Bobby V to 8
28 Go to commentsThe Crusaders can still get in to the Play Off’s. The imminent return of outstanding captain Scott Barrett and his All Black team mate Codie Taylor will be a big boost.There are others like Tamaiti Williams too. Two home games coming up. Fellow Crusader fans get there and support these guys. I will be.
2 Go to commentsCant get more Wellington than Proctor.
3 Go to comments