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It’s not just the All Blacks’ international reputation at stake but New Zealand’s economy, too.
That’s the opinion of Eddie Jones, who was at his provocative best on Thursday morning as the Wallabies coach turned up the heat on his New Zealand rivals ahead of his return to the Bledisloe cauldron.
“There’s nothing better than winning against New Zealand because you feel the country sinking, right?” Jones claimed.
“It’s not just rugby sinks, the country sinks. The whole economy goes down. The Prime Minister is there with his fingers crossed, hoping the All Blacks win, because he knows the economy is going to drop if they lose. So we can have that effect.”
Wallabies coach Eddie Jones says New Zealand sinks when the All Blacks lose. (Photo by Daniel Pockett/Getty Images)
Jones knows better than most how seriously rugby is taken across in the Shaky Isles.
It was four years ago his English-coached side shocked the All Blacks to bundle them out at the semi-final stage of the 2019 World Cup, with a magnificent performance in Japan.
As a result, the New Zealand Herald’s Sunday edition summed up the gloomy feeling by blacking out their Herald on Sunday edition.
Accompanying the blacked-out front page, the newspaper added: “The All Blacks are out of the World Cup. If you want to read more, go to the sports section.”
After seven years coaching England, Jones looked at home preparing to mastermind the Wallabies’ Bledisloe Cup series and said it was more meaningful coaching his nation.
“It is mate, because it is your own country. It means a lot more,” he said after making seven changes to his starting side.
“Without devaluing coaching England. I enjoyed coaching England, I loved them, a good bunch of players, but you know imagine Saturday night 85,000 people there. The biggest rugby crowd since 2007 and they’ve come to watch two teams that have good respect for each other but at the same time they dislike each other.”
At his antagonistic best, Jones said New Zealand didn’t respect the Wallabies – and never had.
“There’s nothing better than Australian rugby taking on New Zealand rugby,” Jones said.
“Because the New Zealanders all think they’re better than us. They always have. So we get an opportunity.”
Wallabies coach has got on the front foot as his side prepares to take on the All Blacks at the MCG. (Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images)
Despite consecutive defeats to start his second tenure in charge of the Wallabies, Jones has got on the front foot and put the All Blacks on watch.
It’s a theme he continued ahead of Saturday’s Bledisloe opener at the MCG, which acts as the third match of the Rugby Championship.
“When you’re playing against them, not many people think you can win. So that’s the opportunity for us,” he said.
The All Blacks’ stunning start to their Rugby Championship campaign, where Ian Foster’s side have twice raced out of the blocks with blistering precision and physicality, has added weight to the argument the Wallabies are little chance of ending their 21-year Bledisloe drought.
Asked how confident he was about his side’s ability to match the All Blacks if they came out with the same accuracy in front of an estimated 85,000 people at the MCG, Jones refused to take a backward step.
“Everyone wants to play at pace, they’re not the only team to have a mortgage on pace,” he said.
“But Australia v NZ at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, it’ll be a different sort of game.”
On the bold selection of halves Tate McDermott and Carter Gordon, Jones said their selections reflected the style of play the Wallabies want to play.
“We want to play at pace, which I know New Zealand think they’ve got a mortgage on it, but other teams can play at pace, but we feel it’s good to play Tate and Carter together,” he said.
Carter Gordon will make his starting debut for the Wallabies against the All Blacks at the MCG. (Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images)
Last year Jones’ English side rallied from 25-6 down to produce a dramatic, stunning final 10 minutes to level up the game by scoring three quick tries.
The late comeback came off the back of an up-tempo style, where England threw everything at their opponents with nothing to lose.
Jones said his history, where he famously masterminded another stunning World Cup boilover against the All Blacks in the 2003 World Cup semi-final, was important against New Zealand but shot down suggestions it was only Australia who could match their trans-Tasman neighbours for pace and skill.
“We never think that,” he responded to a New Zealand reporter.
“We’re an Australian team, we’re developing as a team, can we put the Kiwis under pressure on Saturday, yes. And maybe they’re going to get a surprise.
“I can see the way you’re sitting here and thinking what is this bloke talking about. How can this Australian team do it? The All Blacks have been fantastic for the first two games and you have been mate. But you’re still fans with keyboards, right? Nothing’s changed.”
Eddie Jones has questioned New Zealand Rugby’s decision to move Ian Foster on following this year’s World Cup. (Photo by Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images)
Jones added that New Zealand Rugby had bowed to external pressure by naming Scott Robertson as Foster’s successor following the World Cup.
“Yeah, [I] don’t mind having a glass of red with him, he’s a good man,” Jones said.
“As I said at the time, I really felt for him. He had a board that reacted to media pressure, the appointment of a coaching job. He could go on and produce one of the greatest All Black teams, and then his fate’s already sealed.
“I think that’s why we’ve seen a different approach from New Zealand this year. Normally in a World Cup year they’re very measured in their build-up and they want to peak at the World Cup. But I think because of the situation maybe they’ve taken a different approach, and I’ve never seen a New Zealand team come out in a Rugby Championship ready to go straight away, fly in, and we’ve seen that in the first two games.
“Probably the first two 40 minute [periods] they’ve played have been some of the best rugby we’ve seen for a while, and maybe that’s got to do with the coach appointment because I know the players value him greatly as a coach and we all know he’s a good rugby man. So they’re playing with a lot of passion, a lot of drive and a lot of direction, for us it’s the ultimate test.”
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.