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Eddie Jones says he’s far from happy but believes the Wallabies can – and will – win the World Cup.
After a trio of defeats to start his second tenure in charge of the Wallabies, Jones’ side delivered a timely reminder of their capabilities on the eve of next month’s World Cup despite their heartbreaking 23-20 loss to the All Blacks in Dunedin.
Written off as $23 outsiders at the start of the week, the Wallabies took a 17-3 lead into the sheds before an 80th minute penalty to replacement playmaker Richie Mo’unga gave the All Blacks a 23-20 victory.
“There’s one upright in the game,” Jones said, referring to Carter Gordon’s penalty midway through the second half that hit the posts.
“Congratulations to New Zealand but I think we’re going in the right direction.”
Aaron Smith helped lead the All Blacks to a stunning late win over the Wallabies at Forsyth Barr Stadium on August 05, 2023 in Dunedin. (Photo by Joe Allison/Getty Images)
Despite the improved performance, which came after Ian Foster made 12 changes to his starting side after sealing the Bledisloe Cup with their comprehensive 38-7 victory at the MCG a week earlier, Jones says gallant defeats didn’t leave him satisfied.
“I couldn’t say I’m happy,” Jones said.
“Like, four losses are four losses. But are we making progress? Sometimes the results sheet doesn’t reflect what you’re doing and that’s hard for people to understand, but I think we’re definitely moving in the right direction.
“But we’ve got to win games. We’ve got one more game against France, which is obviously a warm-up match, and then we’ve got four games we need to win, and then you need to win your fifth, and if you win your fifth you’re in the flick of the coin at the Stade to France at 9 o’clock at night [in the semi-finals].”
Asked whether the Wallabies could win the World Cup, Jones didn’t shy away from his belief they were on the right track.
“100 per cent, 100 per cent,” he said.
“In fact, I think we will. If I could bet, I would. But I think you get in trouble if you bet.”
Eddie Jones says the Wallabies can still win the World Cup despite being winless from four Tests in 2023. (Photo by Joe Allison/Getty Images)
Jones also didn’t miss the chance to play mental warfare, once again reminding the New Zealand Rugby board that they had already moved on Foster by appointing his successor, Scott Robertson, before the World Cup.
“Fozzie is obviously doing a good job, but I saw him at Centrelink the other day,” Jones said.
“I was having a look myself because I thought if we lose four games, I might need a job. So I saw him there putting his application in.”
While the All Blacks were missing several regular starters, including the Barrett brothers, Beauden, Jordie and Scott, the Wallabies didn’t have it all their own way.
The Wallabies lost Dave Porecki (shoulder) midway through the first half, before Samu Kerevi (hand) was also forced off.
Without their two regular tight-head props, the Wallabies’ depth was brutally exposed in the second half as the All Blacks turned the screw on their opponents’ scrum as Zane Nonggorr struggled at the crucial set-piece area after coming on for Pone Fa’amausili.
“There’s the good parts, there’s the bad parts and then there’s the ugly parts [from the Test],” Jones said.
“In the second half, our scrum got ugly, didn’t it? We’re down to a fourth, fifth-choice tight-head. He’s a young guy [Nonggorr] who’s learning his trade. Again, we’ve got to balance that out in the context. But we still lost the game.”
Tate McDermott is a “strong candidate” to lead the Wallabies to the World Cup, says Eddie Jones. (Photo by Joe Allison/Getty Images)
Jones, who addressed his side in the sheds at half-time, said the Wallabies had to harness the feeling of hurt and use it positively if they were to reach their goals moving forward.
“I don’t think you ever have them [the All Blacks],” Jones said.
“In one game we’ve had them in my whole career. But all the time you know it’s going to go down to the wire and be a battle. They don’t give up, and that’s the great thing about New Zealand rugby.
“As much as I hate New Zealand rugby, I’ve got great admiration for the way they keep at it, they keep playing, they keep doing the things they’re good at. They stay hard in the contest.
“For us, we don’t want to forget that feeling today. That’s a really important feeling today because we’ve got a devastated group of men in there but if we learn from it, it’s going to be the most pertinent lesson and more than a PhD from the University of Otago.”
Jones will name his 33-man World Cup squad on Thursday in Darwin and said that McDermott, who became the 86th person to lead the Wallabies, was a “strong candidate” to be given the captaincy after doing an “incredible job”.
He is the fourth player in as many Tests to lead the Wallabies this year, after injuries to Michael Hooper (calf) and Allan Alaalatoa (Achilles) as well as James Slipper’s benching.
Jones added that the past month had been viewed as somewhat of a “pre-season” leading into the World Cup.
“We’ve been basically doing pre-season training in the lead-up to Test matches to get us right for the World Cup,” he said.
“The players know that they’ve got to keep working hard, but to have a performance like that – we’ve put ourselves in a position to dominate New Zealand but not finish it off – will certainly help their confidence.”
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.