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Eddie Jones and his coaching team will assemble on Friday afternoon to confirm his Rugby Championship team, before announcing his 33-man squad – the same number that will be with him in France for the World Cup – on Sunday morning.
At the same announcement, Jones will confirm his Wallabies captain.
The Roar understands as many as 12 Brumbies, as well as French-based Australian locks Richie Arnold and Will Skelton, are expected to feature in his squad. Several injured players will also be named in a rehab group.
“It’s (selection) always a difficult process,” Jones told reporters on Friday morning.
“You’ve got probably 45 players competing for 33 spots, so that’s always difficult but that’s the job ahead. We’ll sit down after we’ve finished here and work out who the 33 are.”
Did he have a squad in mind before the bulk of Australia’s players came together on Sunday in Sydney?
“Always got 33 in mind, mate,” he said.
Jones has been at home this week in Coogee.
With the suit and snazzy navy blue sneakers off, Jones has finally got to do what he does best as he’s run his eyes over Australia’s hopefuls at the ground he once called his backyard.
On Monday, his former Randwick coach and mentor Bob Dwyer, who led the Wallabies to their first Webb Ellis Cup success in 1991, joined Jones at Coogee Oval.
“Bob came in on Monday,” Jones said. “Run straight, short passes is the consistent message, and he is right. 100 per cent right.”
The rise in intensity from Super Rugby sessions to the national set up was notable.
Players were constantly pushed throughout the week and that intensity was on display in front of a healthy crowd on Friday, with the Coogee Oval gates open for the public to watch as Jones’ hopefuls wore their club kit.
“We’ve got to train for the game, mate, we’re training for the game,” Jones said.
“It was a good week’s preparation. The players were outstanding all week. Their application was first class.”
Jones wore a fresh Randwick cap and jacket, a stark contrast from the torn Randwick jersey he previously wore as a player that was in club great Jeff Sayle’s house before the club presented back to him last July.
“We want to engage the community as much as we can and Coogee and Coogee Oval’s a great spot to do it,” he said.
“It’s a bit of fun today wearing your club colours and I think the players enjoyed it.”
Guests and the Wallabies were treated to a sausage sandwich, with Taniela Tupou warned to go easy on the snags. Andrew Johns tucked into some too, having put on a masterclass for the Wallabies’ playmakers at the end of the session.
Andrew Johns talks to Bernard Foley and Carter Gordon at Wallabies training. (Photo by Julius Dimataga/RugbyAU Media)
Intrigue surrounds Tupou’s availability for The Rugby Championship opener on July 9.
The 27-year-old hasn’t played all year after rupturing his Achilles against Ireland in Dublin on November 20.
While Tupou was smashing the tackle bag and put through fitness drills along with his teammates on Friday, the giant tight-head prop is long odds to be risked against the Springboks.
Whether he’s taken to South Africa is another thing, however, with Jones wanting to keep a close eye on the destructive prop.
“We’ll just have to wait and see,” Jones said.
“He’s progressing nicely. He’s done a lot more training this week than he did the previous week. We’ve got a plan for him and, at the moment, the plan’s going pretty well.”
One person who won’t go to South Africa is Angus Bell, with Jones confirming the rising loose-head prop would miss the opening Test.
As will Izack Rodda, whose foot injury has ended his World Cup hopes. While Matt Philip has a calf injury, which has him long odds to feature in Sunday’s squad.
Fortunately, Jones has Arnold and Skelton to pick from.
Angus Bell will miss the Wallabies’ opener against the Springboks while Taniela Tupou is in doubt too. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
Ditto Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, whose frame and physicality remains an exciting prospect.
“Again, I can’t talk about the previous regime. All I can talk about is that he’s a big, strong jumping number six who can play four, which is a great option for us,” Jones said.
One of the more open positions is the back-row, with Jones toying with playing a bigger back-row that could see Rebels loose-forward Josh Kemeny rocket into consideration.
“Well, I think that’s always an option,” Jones said. “But it’s a balance of 4-5-6-7-8 we’re looking for.
“Size is a factor, we need to have a ball-carrier, we need to have defence and we need to have work-rate, so we’re always looking to get the balance there.”
Josh Kemeny is in the frame to feature in Eddie Jones’ Rugby Championship squad. (Photo by Mark Nolan/Getty Images)
Anyone watching Friday’s session would have noticed an increase in kicking, as two teams played against one another at Coogee Oval.
Kicking was a feature, with neither side playing much rugby inside their own half.
While Quade Cooper missed the session to attend a wedding, Bernard Foley and Carter Gordon went head-to-head.
Key Wallabies backs Andrew Kellaway and Samu Kerevi didn’t participate in the session, but both are expected to train fully next week after minor hamstring issues.
After Michael Cheika’s side decided to run the ball as their “surprise weapon” at the last World Cup, the Wallabies are likely to adopt a territorial game-plan built on winning the ball back.
“We only want to kick to get the ball back,” Jones insisted.
“If we kick well, we get the ball back and then we’re happy to kick.
“We’ve got to kick well.
“The modern game, if you look at any modern game, there is a lot of kicking in there.
“If you look at old games, there was a lot of kicking, you know, so there’s this fascination that rugby is a game where you don’t, all you do is pass and run.
“When I played the game, some of the best kickers of the ball were the best runners of the ball and some of the best runners of the balls were the best passers of the ball.
“And it’s interesting, you know, one of the messages I heard ‘Joey’ say to the boys is the best running players are the best passing players, and it follows then that the best running and best passing players, are the best kicking players.
“One of the best kickers of the ball I saw was Mark Ella who could kick the ball into space, any number of times, he could probably still come down and do it.”
Jones said the Wallabies would have to physically match the Springboks and win the contest battle at the set-piece, in the air and on the ground to come away from Pretoria with their first win.
“We have had a pre-season so far,” he said.
“The players who have been out of Super Rugby, we have worked on their fitness, worked on their basic skills and worked on some ideas of how we want to play and now we have two weeks to prepare to play against South Africa, and specifically how we want to play against South Africa.
“To beat South Africa, physically you have to meet the challenge, that’s the first thing you have to do. Then after that there’s the set-piece contest, there’s the aerial contest and there’s the contest on the ground. It is a huge contest game against them, so we have to be able to win the contest.”
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.