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Days after Alan Jones branded his namesake Eddie Jones a “psychopath”, the new Wallabies has refused to bite back by saying “I’ll let that go through to the keeper”.
The Wallabies coach, who was sensationally appointed to the role a fortnight ago after being sacked by the Rugby Football Union in December, touched back Down Under on Sunday morning.
One of the first things he said after touching down at Sydney Airport was his desire to see rugby back in the newspapers across Australia.
His dream headline: “Wallabies win the Bledisloe Cup for the first time in 22 years”.
Wallabies coach Eddie Jones opted not to respond to Alan Jones’ criticism of him after touching back Down Under. Photo: Matt King/Getty Images
Jones said he was “extremely honoured and humbled by the opportunity coach Australia again”.
The former Randwick hooker, who previously coached the Wallabies from 2001-2005 and was the last Australian coach to hold the Bledisloe Cup in 2002, said the first thing he intended on doing as national coach was to arrange meetings with the five Super Rugby franchises.
“Well, tomorrow it’s about meeting the Rugby Australia staff and start making plans about how we get out and to the states because the important thing is to catch up with the Super Rugby coaches and, obviously, the players,” Jones told Sean Maloney on the World Series feed at Allianz Stadium.
As well as arranging meetings with the Super Rugby franchises, it’s more than likely he will speak with Wallabies assistant coach Dan McKellar, who is in town and is expected to spend time with the Waratahs throughout the week.
McKellar’s future has been the subject of much conjecture in recent weeks given some believed he was in-line to succeed axed coach Dave Rennie.
But Jones’ five-year deal has tempered any genuine possibility of that occurring any time soon.
Whether he wants to serve under Jones for the long-term remains to be seen, but it is understood that at the very least McKellar wants to go to the Wallabies as an assistant under the veteran coach.
Jones, who made a brief appearance at the Sydney Sevens on Sunday, said he was excited by the talent on display in Australian rugby.
“I think if you just look at all the Super Rugby rosters, the talented players that are in Australian rugby are there, so what we’ve got to do is make sure that we put them into a team that has a pretty good idea of how they want to play and then they want to fight together,” he said.
Wallabies coach Eddie Jones speaks to fans during the 2023 Sydney Sevens at Allianz Stadium on January 29, 2023 in Sydney. Photo: Matt King/Getty Images
Jones led England to 10 victories from 11 Tests against the Wallabies, including historic series victories Down Under as well as a World Cup quarter-final victory in Japan.
In the vast majority of those matches England ran away with the matches in the final quarter of the contests.
Indeed, that theme continued against a number of Test playing nations in recent years, including on last year’s Spring Tour where the Wallabies snuck home against Scotland and Wales but lost nailbiters to France, Italy and Wales.
Jones said winning the “tighter situations” was essential for the Wallabies to become a genuine force.
“I think Australian sporting teams generally, in particular the Wallabies, have always been good attacking teams and I think Australia has got plenty of that,” he said.
“What we need to be is a bit better in the tighter situations, and that’s something that we can work on.”
Eddie Jones won 10 off 11 Tests coaching against the Wallabies as England coach. Image: Getty Images
Meanwhile, Jones opted not to respond to a highly critical column in England’s Express newspaper.
Former Wallabies coach Alan Jones, who led Australia to their last victory against the All Blacks at Eden Park in 1986 and their last grand slam victory in 1984, slammed Rugby Australia’s decision to return to Eddie Jones.
“The prestigious rugby job of coaching Australia was not advertised. All the rules about making an important appointment have been broken,” Jones wrote in the Express.
“Clearly, no due diligence was done on a person, previously sacked by Rugby Australia.
“The lack of process must raise questions about the whole Rugby Australia Board.”
Jones later described the new Wallabies coach as a “sociopath” and “psychopath”.
“Right now, everyone is looking at the coaching record of Eddie Jones but few are considering what goes with it.
“He clearly displays character traits that psychologists would align with someone living with antisocial personality disorder (ASPD).
“People with this condition are also commonly referred to as “sociopaths” or “psychopaths”.
“People with ASPD are controlling, aggressive and show no guilt or remorse for their destructive behaviour.
“In a nutshell, people with sociopathy may have little empathy and a habit of rationalising their actions but they know the difference between right and wrong.”
Eddie Jones opted not to respond to the column when asked at Sydney Airport.
“I’ll let that one go through to the keeper,” he said.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.