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Eddie Jones has the first and last laugh on the 2016 Wallabies

3rd December, 2016
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Eddie Jones' golden run appears over. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
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3rd December, 2016
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He’s a cheeky bugger, but Eddie Jones has done a right royal hatchet job on the Wallabies this year.

The former Wallaby and Japan coach, who has also been the Boks’ assistant coach, not only orchestrated a 3-zip series win in June to kick-start the Wallaby year, but early this morning put the icing on the cake with a 37-21 victory at Twickenham to end the year.

All the wash-up from England vs Wallabies:
» Match Report: Wallabies waste early leads
» Five talking points from the match
» What changes should Australia make for 2017?
» Vote on our DIY Player Ratings
» Re-live the match with our live blog
» Watch all the highlights from the match

Jones has 13 wins from 13 starts this year compared to Wallaby coach Michael Cheika’s six from 15.

So Jones has eight good reasons to be cheeky.

For those who didn’t see this morning’s fare, the Wallabies hit England with everything bar the kitchen sink in the first 16 minutes to lead 10-0, despite having three tries disallowed – two to Tevita Kuridrani where just one would have given him a share of Mark Ella’s 1984 Slam record of scoring a try in all four Slam internationals.

Prop Sekope Kepu was also denied a five-pointer.

Then the turning point, and it had to be Wallaby half Nick Phipps.

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When the Wallabies had the Englishmen on their knees with no ball nor territory, why would Phips box-kick, especially as Phipps and box kicking are mortal enemies?

Thanks very much said England and their first possession was turned into a retaliation with two penalties from the deadly accurate Owen Farrell before another Phipps foul-up presented Jonathan Joseph with the first of his two tries, and England led 13-10.

Another Farrell penalty and two from Bernard Foley made it 16-13 in favour of the Wallabies, despite having 65 per cent possession, and 71 per cent territory.

Sacrilege.

It was a vastly different story in the second half – it was all England, apart from an impressive Kepu try.

There was only going to be one winner, and it was the men in white.

David Pocock and Michael Hooper were tireless trying to get the Wallabies back in contention, while Phipps kept breaking down far too many highly promising Wallaby moves.

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And to complete the embarrassment, Dane Haylett-Petty, one of the Wallabies best, blatantly shoulder charged England fullback Mike Brown then looked surprised at the yellow card – lucky it wasn’t red.

So this was one that got away, and six months before the next Wallaby international.

Should Micahel Cheika be coach? Of course he should. he’s not only the best man for the job, but there are two other valid reasons.

There are no Australian Super Rugby coaches good enough, and there will never be another foreign coach.

Give Stephen Moore, Dean Mumm, and Nick Phipps their used-by papers, make sure Will Genia is available for all Wallaby internationals next year, shift Israel Folau to outside centre with Samu Kerevi inside, and make Folau captain.

The one particular thing Cjeika has done superbly well is create depth, but it’s time to get rid of the dead wood.

But it will be a long six months for Cheika to endure, while the cheeky bugger will have a deserved an outstanding Christmas.

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