The 'objectionable' All Blacks guru Eddie Jones didn't like but thought was 'a great coach'
Eddie Jones has revealed why he doesn’t like former All Black coach Laurie Mains while paying fulsome tribute to Bob Dwyer, the 1991 World Cup-winning Wallaby legend, who continues to inspire the England head coach.
Jones gave his verdict on some of rugby’s most famous coaches to RFU performance director Conor O’Shea in an episode of “The Eddie Jones Podcast” that will be released tomorrow. While he praises Dwyer and Graham Henry, two men who won the World Cup, he admits that Mains’ argumentative nature made the man who saw his All Blacks team beaten in the 1995 World Cup final by hosts South Africa, hard to like.
Before England shocked New Zealand 19-7 in last year’s Rugby World Cup semi-final in Japan, Mains was quoted saying: “I do expect it will be pretty tough because Eddie Jones – I haven’t always admired the way he’s coached rugby teams – but he’s a clever little bugger and he’ll have a difficult game plan for the All Blacks to counter.”
Jones said: “A bloke I didn’t like but I thought he was a great coach was Laurie Mains. For me quite an argumentative, objectionable guy but the way he coached his teams was brilliant and in 1995 World Cup he had the All Blacks absolutely playing superb rugby. They weren’t good enough in the end in the final.
“I was lucky enough to be coached by Bob Dwyer who won the 1991 World Cup. Hard guy but with a great feel for the game and I always remember as a player in my first year in the Randwick first grade and we went on the bus to Brothers and he sat down next to me and I was as nervous as anything and he said “how do you reckon we will go today?” Just that little bit made me feel if I was important in the team and his ability to find the right thing to say and he was so curious about finding how to do things better. He was outstanding.
“Graham Henry stood the test of time, brilliant with Wales, struggled with the Lions and it took him eight years to win ( the World Cup ) with the All Blacks – he was ahead of the game. He changed his approach massively in the time that he coached. He was an old schoolmaster, a very directed coach and at the end became a much more consultative coach.
Jones also revealed he gives himself an appraisal as England head coach every three months to ensure he is constantly pushing himself to improve. The Australian also challenges his assistant coaches John Mitchell, Simon Amor, Neil Craig, Steve Borthwick ( who leaves in July) and Matt Proudfoot even during the lockdown to make sure they are also looking for ways of helping the beaten 2019 Rugby World Cup finalists become the best team the world has ever seen.
That has been his constant mantra and to achieve that goal Jones relies on self-criticism which he is currently undertaking in Japan before flying back to London in the expectation that sport will be allowed to continue in some form later in the year. The Six Nations championship has yet to be completed while there are serious doubts over England’s tour of Japan and the exact nature of the Autumn test schedule.
As he deals with lockdown in Japan, Jones explained his working life. Jones reveals: “Every three months I write myself my own development plan and I have done that consistently throughout my career.
“I have professional objectives and personal objectives to make sure that I keep growing and keep learning. Our assistant coaches are very similar and are all set tasks of how they can improve themselves. We get them to do a lot of self-reflecting and at the moment they have a lot of time to self-reflect so it is a good time to grow. It is about them understanding what they are good at where they need to improve and coming up with a plan to improve because those plans are only really useful if you drive it yourself.”
Comments on RugbyPass
It couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
25 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
13 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
25 Go to commentsThis sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
13 Go to commentsThe rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
84 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
2 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
1 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
13 Go to comments9 Brumbies! What a joke! The best performing team in Oz! Ditch Skelton for Swain or Neville. Ryan Lonergan ahead of McDermott any day! Best selection bolter is Toole … amazing player
12 Go to commentsI like this, but ultimately rugby already has enough trophies. Trying to make more games “consequential" might prove to be a fools errand, although this is a less bad idea than some others. Minor quibble with the title of the article; it isn’t very meaningful to say the boks are the unofficial world champions when it would be functionally impossible for the Raeburn trophy not to be held by the world champions. There’s a period of a few months every 4 years when there is no “unofficial” world champion, and the Raeburn trophy is held by the actual world champions.
13 Go to commentsIts a great idea but one that I dont think will have a lot of traction. It will depend on the prestige that they each hold but if you can do that it would be great. When Japan beat the Boks (my team) I was absolutely devestated but I wont deny the great game they played that day. We were outclassed and it was one of the best games of rugby I have seen. Using an idea like this you might just give the the underdog teams more of an opportunity to beat the big teams and I can absolutely see it being a brilliant display of rugby. They beat us because they planned for that game. It was a great moment for Japan. This way we can remove the 4 year wait and give teams something to aim for outside of World Cup years.
13 Go to commentsHi, Dave here. Happy to answer questions 🥰
13 Go to commentsDon’t think that headline is accurate. It’s great to see Aus doing better but I’m not sure they’ve shown much threat to the top of the table. They shouldn’t be inflating wins against the lousy Highlanders and Crusaders either.
3 Go to commentsSuch a shame Roigard and Aumua picked up long term injuries, probably the two form players in the comp. Also, pretty sure Clarke Dermody isn’t their coach. Got it half right though.
3 Go to commentsOh the Aussie media, they never learn. At least Andrew Kellaway is like “Woah, yeah it’s great, but settle down there guys” having endured years of the Aussie media, fans, and often their players getting ahead of themselves only to fall flat on their faces. Have the “We'll win the Bledisloe for sure this year!” headlines started yet? It’s simple to see what’s going on. The Aussie teams are settled, they didn't lose any of their major players overseas. The Crusaders and Chiefs lost key experienced All Blacks, and Razor in the Crusaders case, and clearly neither are anywhere near as strong as last year (The Canes and Blues would probably be 3rd & 4th if they were). The Highlanders are annually average, even more so post-Aaron Smith and a big squad clean out. The two teams at the top? The two nz sides with largely the same settled roster as last year, except Ardie Savea for the Canes. They’ve both got far better coaches now too. If the Aussies are going to win the title, this is the year the kiwi sides will be weakest, so they better take their chance.
3 Go to commentsThe World Cup has to be the gold standard, line in the sand. 113 teams compete for what is the opportunity to make the pool stages, and then the knockout games for the trophy. The concept is sound. This must have been the rationale when the World Cup was created, surely? But I’m all for Looking forward and finding new ways for the SH to dominate the NH into the future. The autumn series needs a change up. Let’s start by having the NH teams come south every odd year for the Autumn/Spring series games?
13 Go to commentsWhat’ll happen when the AI models of the future go back in time and try to destroy the AI models of the past standing in their way of certain victory?
44 Go to commentsThanks, Nick. We (Seanny Maloney, Brett and I) just discussed Charlie as a potential Wallaby No 8, and wondered if he has truly realised how big he is in contact (and whether he can add 5 kg w/o slowing down). Your scouting report confirms our suspicions he has the materiel. No one knows if he has the mentality (as Johann van Graan said this week about CJ, Duane and Alfie B) to carry 10-15 times a game.
57 Go to commentsHe would be a great player for the Stormers, Dobbo should approach the guy.
3 Go to commentsGood article. A few years back when he was playing for the Cheetahs, he was a quiet standout for exactly the seasons stated here. I occasionally get to see his games in the UK, and he has become a more complete player and in many ways like an Irish player. His work ethic is so suitable to the Leinster game. I wonder if Rassie would have him listed somewhere.
3 Go to comments