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Wallabies coach Eddie Jones reflects on ‘high risk’ World Cup selections
For better or worse, August 10 will live on in history as a significant juncture in Australian rugby history. With an eye to the future, coach Eddie Jones revealed the Wallabies’ Rugby World Cup squad which included some genuine surprises.
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Coach Jones named an inexperienced 33-man squad which included just eight players with World Cup experience. There was no room for the likes of Michael Hooper and Quade Cooper as Jones called upon generation next to turn the Wallabies’ woes around.
Having collected the wooden spoon in The Rugby Championship, the Wallabies were 0-4 at the time of this announcement. Their World Cup prospects appeared quite bleak.
With a new skipper in Will Skelton steering the ship and a young playmaker in Carter Gordon, the Wallabies flew out of Sydney with a desire to prove any and all doubters wrong.
But the Wallabies haven’t done that. Two months on, the Aussies are on the brink of World Cup disaster.
Following disastrous defeats to Fiji and Wales, the Wallabies are expected to miss the quarterfinals for the first time –Jones’ “high risk” changes to the playing group have backfired. But the coach is adamant that “this team is going to be a good team” in the future.
“When I came in, I assessed the playing pool and said we needed to make a change and it was high risk,” Jones said on Friday. “You know, we catch one kick against Fiji and maybe we’re sitting here already qualified for the quarterfinals. They’re the small things that happen that sometimes can affect you, your obvious progress.
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“But this team is going to be a good team. We need one or two quality players to add to it.
“We’re not the finished product yet but if you look at the players… then you add in (Angus) Bell, 23, loose-head prop, (Taniela) Tupou, Fraser McReight, (Rob) Valenti is 25, (Tate) McDermott is 25. Donaldson, Mark (Nawaqanitawase), (Max) Jorgensen. Now you are talking about eight or 10 players that have the potential to be really good Test players.
“Then you add in a few experienced players like Will (Skelton), Richie Arnold, a couple of hard guys like (Samu) Kerevi and you get those guys back to their best. With that group of people, that’s a team that can do really well.”
The Wallabies can still qualify for the quarterfinals but they need a rugby miracle on Sunday evening. Portugal needs to beat Fiji by eight points or more and stop them from getting a four-try bonus point.
Comments on RugbyPass
I guess we may all agree on the fact, that the ABs and Boks are the two in contest for No 1 in rugby history (the triple-A sort of) …. the Wallabies, England and France are the next tier, with Ireland being the new kid in town (AA) …. in my view it makes little sense creating imaginary competitions (unless you have too much time to waste)
41 Go to commentsWhat a joke. Total joke and the pundits commentating, all of whom know a bit about the game, could barely disguise their contempt. Reaching for the card then pulling back when he realised a red card would carry further match suspensions is simply not his decision to make. A clear and obvious influence on the outcome of this match and indeed, the championship path.
2 Go to commentsI like the idea, in NZ the Ranfurly Shield and NPC coexist, both having their own bragging rights. The World Cup would be the pinnacle, but the competition and travels of these trophies would be interesting.
41 Go to commentsDon’t worry Sonny bill Williams leave that awkward situation about the curfew in the pass whoever it was it doesn’t matter its no big deal we back our All Blacks through the storm and the thunder until we see the Sun light again.
42 Go to commentsWho listens to this retard? He was a massive liability as a player but obviously a media sensation
42 Go to commentsI’m not surprised by such ‘virtue signalling’ by Sonny Boy. Butter wouldn’t melt in his mouth. He’s such a pious Islamic muppet, imo.
42 Go to commentsI’ve actually never heard of the guy (then I don’t watch League as it is boring). But if he is good enough.. then good luck to him. If not, well, he can always return to league.
2 Go to commentsIt is pretty clear that by almost any measure that NZ are a more successful rugby nation than South Africa. Quite aside from the distasteful events during the last RWC final. NZ lead SA in all significant measurements.
41 Go to commentsDickson went to his pocket for a card, saw who it was, changed his mind and spoke at length to TMO. One angle clearly shows Care diving over a Saints player to kill the ball. 1st yellow, reason given for not Red was player was falling backwards. He was only falling backwards after contact with Lawes. Graham try should have stood. Mitchell did not have both hands on the ball, ball went forward from a Saints boot dragging over it. 2 intentional knock-on's. One of which had an overlap on the outside. If Quins are happy to win by intentional foul play, then it does not say much for them. Would appear to be a bad day for Karl Dickson, also for the RFU in appointing a Ref who spent 8 years as a player at one of the clubs.
2 Go to commentsLet’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 comments