Stephen Moore says Rugby Australia lack vision, Eddie Jones must come clean
Straight-shooting former Australia Test captain Stephen Moore says Eddie Jones must come clean on the Japan job and the Wallabies coach should fall on his sword if he has been interviewed.
In France watching the World Cup, the 129-Test legend has been dismayed by the Wallabies’ dire performance under Jones, with their record loss to Wales following Fiji an intolerable low for the two-time champion team.
Moore played at three World Cups, captaining the Wallabies to a loss to New Zealand in the 2015 final – a far cry from the current tournament with Australia set to miss the quarter-finals for the first time.
Moore told AAP that Jones’s link to Japan was the latest event in some “alarming behaviour” shown by the 63-year-old, who replaced Dave Rennie in January.
“I was excited when Eddie came in as he’s been a good coach for a long time, but I didn’t expect it to go this poorly,” 40-year-old Moore said.
“Certainly some of the decisions that have been made and some of the behaviour has been a little bit alarming and very different to the type of Eddie that I would have worked with very early in my career and that’s been really disappointing.”
Moore said Jones’s position was untenable if he had been looking to join Japan less than a year into his five-year Australian contract.
“If that’s accurate, I just can’t see how we can continue with that,” Moore said.
“Japan are looking for a coach and they’re in the process of recruiting a coach so Eddie is either going for it or he’s not.
“Whatever his involvement is, we need to hear that and if it’s accurate that he’s been engaging with Japan … I can’t see how he can continue to coach Australia.
“As a player, I would find that very difficult.”
Putting his hand up to help, Moore said the problem went beyond Jones, laying the blame at Rugby Australia chairman Hamish McLennan and his board with seemingly reactionary decisions and empty rhetoric.
He used the rapid appointment of Jones without the knowledge of the then CEO and the multi-million dollar deal for untested youngster Joseph Aukuso-Suaalii as examples.
“The coach piece is one part but the big picture has lacked any kind of checks and balances or strategy throughout over the last three or four years,” said Moore, the CEO of an insurance brokerage in Brisbane
“There seems to be a lot of captains picks in many different areas, there doesn’t seem to be any real governance around some of this stuff … there’s a lot of things going on that are very unconventional.
“It’s the member unions’ role is to make sure that we have the appropriate governance in place to ensure we’re going in the right direction and there’s consensus around decisions being made.”
Moore wanted to see a solid strategy to solve the game’s woes, whether that involved centralisation or cutting Super Rugby teams, and a renewed focus on grassroots.
“For some time there’s been lack of a strategy or a long-term vision for the game at every different level; at the Wallabies, at the grassroots, club rugby, Super rugby, the third tier, I can’t put my finger on any type of direction we have for that stuff.
“We need to build a governance model, a high-performance model, a grassroots system that is going to be the best in the world – that’s what we should be aiming for and at the moment, we’re kidding ourselves if we think what we’re doing is going to get us there.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Let’s not forget about Ardie Savea just yet.
4 Go to commentsThe URC and the Euro Championscup can’t run at the same time, basically dilutes both competitions.
1 Go to comments“While Sotutu should start at No.8 for the All Blacks against England, but it’s only in that arena that he can prove just how good he really is.” And that my friends is where simply hasnt shone despite multiple opportunities. Even in this performance you can see what did him in in the test arena..he almost always still runs at the opposition almost ramrod upright making him easier to stop than it should be.
4 Go to commentsShould have been 0-0 and a message from SR CEO to both teams - “don’t worry about turning up next year”.
4 Go to commentsGreat work Owen Franks. A great of this team, scoring his first try for the Crusaders since 2010.He was beaming, justifiably. A fine win, he and the rest did the job up front.
1 Go to commentsDanny Care. Lang in die tand.
1 Go to commentsBig empty stadium does nothing for atmosphere but munster are playing well with solid performance
1 Go to commentsYes, 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.
4 Go to commentsThis game was just as painful as the Hurricanes game. It was real fork-in-the-eye stuff.
4 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.
4 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
4 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.
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