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SAINT ETIENNE – As the Wallabies prepare for their make-or-break World Cup Test against Wales on Sunday (Monday, 5am AEST), Drew Mitchell has taken aim at Eddie Jones and called on his former coach to explain his selection for the campaign.
Mitchell, the Wallabies’ highest tryscorer in World Cup history, laid into Jones after the Wallabies’ first loss to Fiji in 69 years.
The defeat was the Wallabies’ sixth from seven Tests since Jones sensationally replaced Dave Rennie in January.
Following the Test defeat, Jones said that he took “full responsibility” for the loss.
“Let’s not take away from the fact that Fiji played really well,” Mitchell said on the The Good, The Bad & The Rugby podcast. “But let’s also not take away from the fact that we f***ing shouldn’t have lost to Fiji. Eddie sits there and goes, ‘Yeah, it’s my fault. I take full responsibility.’
“What the f*** does that mean though? Like, he doesn’t get dropped this week. He’s not not coaching next week. It’s just like an empty f***ing line in a press conference. ‘Yeah, I take full responsibility.’ Like, what does that equate to? Nothing.”
Drew Mitchell has called on Eddie Jones to explain his selection process after the Wallabies’ poor 2023 continued at the World Cup. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
Jones shocked many when he left the Wallabies’ most-capped captain Michael Hooper and fly-half Quade Cooper out of his 33-man World Cup squad.
The duo started under Jones in the Wallabies’ first-up 43-12 loss to South Africa in July, with Hooper co-captain alongside James Slipper and Cooper wearing the No.10 jersey.
But both, as well as versatile forward Jed Holloway, centre Len Ikitau and back Tom Wright, were big-name exclusions from Jones’ World Cup squad. Bernard Foley, who was brought home by Jones ahead of The Rugby Championship but was never selected, also missed selection.
In the case of Hooper and Ikitau, Jones said their injuries played a part in their omissions despite the fact both were tracking to be fit for their World Cup opener against Georgia.
Others, however, such as Max Jorgensen (knee) and Samu Kerevi (hand), carried injuries into the tournament. Prop Pone Fa’amausili also came away from their Bledisloe II defeat wounded, before sustaining a calf injury during the Wallabies’ first training session in Paris in late August.
Wallabies head coach Eddie Jones named Michael Hooper (R) as a co-captain in June yet left him out of his World Cup squad in August. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)
Mitchell said in light of the Wallabies’ disastrous loss to Fiji, which has them needing to beat Wales, likely with a bonus point, to progress through to the quarter-finals, Jones needed to properly explain his selection process, including the decision to have six captains throughout the opening seven Tests of the year.
“You’ve made some glaring decisions around Quade, around Michael Hooper,” said Mitchell, who was given his first Wallabies cap by Jones in 2005.
“Captaincy, there’s six captains in seven weeks. Like, f***ing explain some of these decisions to us because, as fans, we’re all sitting here scratching our heads.
“And a lot of the time we can sit there and defend Eddie or the Wallabies, because we can understand logic in some of these decisions. But there’s none of it, and he’s sat there and not actually given any explanation as to why Quade’s not there. Why’s Michael Hooper not there?
“He said, ‘Oh, because Michael Hooper’s injured.’ Well, you’ve taken Pone Fa’amausili. You’ve taken Max Jorgensen, and these other guys that are injured. So that’s a redundant point. Why the f*** have you not selected Michael Hooper? Quade Cooper? Like, come out and actually tell us as fans. Why have you not picked these guys? Because now, we’re seeing the result of you not picking some of these guys.”
Wallabies forwards coach Neal Hatley, who worked alongside Jones during England’s run to the 2019 World Cup final, said he believed in his boss’ vision.
“I think so. I do,” Hatley told reporters on Wednesday.
“I saw it with the team that we worked with previously together. On a Lions series, we took guys, young players, 18-year-olds, we took four or five 18-year-olds, 19-year-olds and those guys are all 40-cap internationals now, played in World Cup finals.
“Eddie’s had a much closer look at where he believes Australian rugby is and what it needs to move forward. I’ve got a huge amount of faith in the plan that he puts out.”
Wallabies assistant coach Neal Hatley (C) says he supports Eddie Jones’ vision for the current team. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)
Asked whether he thought the constant swapping and changing to his side, which included dropping Andrew Kellaway on the eve of the World Cup to include Ben Donaldson at fullback, Hatley said the Wallabies’ preparation for the tournament was unique and that the playing group was adapting well.
“There’s definite 100 per cent viability to that [Ben Darwin’s cohesion theory],” Hatley said. “The greater cohesion, the better it is.
“But it’s not the only thing – look at Ireland and South Africa, sides that are seven, eight years into that so cohesion is hugely important.
“We’re not, so it becomes irrelevant. We’ve got to find another way. We’re not going to sit here and go ‘oh, it’s not cohesive, we haven’t had enough time.’ The time is the time, it is what it is.
“Five months, six months, whatever it is, we’ve got to get on with it and make the most of it.
“But I think fresh ideas are always important, you can get caught in a rut over a three, four, five, six, seven year period where it’s the same people, same voices.
“But I do appreciate that, particularly in the short amount of time that we had, that what’s new is not easy. But that’s not a reason where we are, where we are.
“The players have been brilliant, absolutely brilliant in terms of getting on board and trying to do what we’re trying to do. So we’ve just got to make it work.”
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.