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.”
Sofa Coach
Roar Rookie
RTL, Cooper moved a mountain to make it back fit for this cup. He showed precisely the type of dedication and determination that all the fans on here have been consistently demanding for years. Many a poster over these long dark years has said that they can stomach losing to a better team, but that feeble capitulation is intolerable. Quade gave everything and Eddie gave him nothing back. In his comeback under Rennie he destroyed the current world champions and was proving himself to be one of the top 10s in the game. But in a far more arduous come back under Eddie’s he’s been given no genuine opportunity to get up to speed. He snapped his achilles, his rugby brain and match management ability remained untouched. It is, was and always will be the worst decision any world cup coach has ever made. Eddie intentionally turned up to a war zone with a couple of boy scouts.
Ken Catchpole's Other Leg
Roar Guru
Yes Sofa, players are fans too, and friends of the dropped players. They’re not robots.
Sofa Coach
Roar Rookie
Not that I agree with ditching Hoops. That was ridiculous. The message that sent to the players was that even if you are a wallaby legend, you're nothing.
Sofa Coach
Roar Rookie
Jez, Skelton ticks the guaranteed selection box (sorry Revok, deal with it.) Most importantly perhaps, in the changing demographics of Aussie rugby, he also represents the heritage of the majority of the team he’s leading and especially on that basis, I think this is one left field call that Jones got right. But from the outside I very much agree with the rest of your point- it certainly looks like it’s Eddie’s way or the highway and anyone off script will not be tolerated.
KTinHK
Roar Pro
Or is it you. Again.
cs
Roar Guru
Yep, it was all about you, if you like.
Sofa Coach
Roar Rookie
Nice one Ken. Intelligent points will made. No one could argue Eddie’s rugby knowledge. But I think that we can all agree that Eddie most certainly will not be getting a call up from the DFAT anytime soon. (Michael Hooper on the other hand, should be sent immediately to Israel or the Ukraine as a peace envoy! How he manages to front up on Stan after his treatment and remain dignified and positive is a mark of the man and highlights exactly what this current dressing room has lost). We’re not in the dressing room, so we don’t really know Eddie, but what we do see is him consistently for many years treating journalists and fans with contempt, and seeming to thrive on creating chaos and instability for his charges to filter out who/what is tough enough and -perhaps more importantly -compliant enough to survive in his regime. The special thing about Drew’s passionate explosion wasn’t just that he spoke for the vast majority of fans, but that I expect that he is also speaking for the current group of players who cannot have a voice and keep their spots. They are an extremely talented group of players. They have the ability. They seem to have good attitudes and decent tickers. But despite their well scripted media soundbites they are clearly lacking some key ingredients- direction and clarity in their game, rugby IQ, maybe even confidence despite their public bravado? That’s all on Eddie and that’s what Drew was venting into his microphone.
Phil Kearns Love Child
Roar Rookie
Maybe Alan Joyce can take over from Hamish McLennan? Lol
KTinHK
Roar Pro
So you felt the need to somewhat farcically defend his right to do that even though you now say he wasn’t doing it because, really, it was just an opportunity to take a shot at me.
Crusher_13
Roar Rookie
I don’t want to say too much but word is they are not interested and are really struggling in the environment.
Crusher_13
Roar Rookie
Jones has said the box kicking is the game plan. If anything EJ strikes me as the type of coach that will drop you and never speak to you again if you don’t follow the game plan. I have personally seen white play with amazing fluidity. Clearing the all quickly and making it available for the 10 / backs. I’ve also seen him kick it to death. I’ve seen him complain about everything, then the next week not blink when he is tackled lake and high.
TA
Roar Rookie
Hooper is past his best, but still better than most. He should of been selected for his leadership alone. This team is rudderless. Also not buying the idea that Jones is building for the next World Cup , it just buys him more time in the job. This is a World Cup do your best in this one. Supporters, like me, are pissed because we want to see our best playing, that's what we pay dollars for, for now.
piru
Roar Rookie
Negative fans' kicking game was very subpar against Fiji
jammel
Roar Rookie
I haven't been following rugby as much as I should have been doing so over the past 2 years.... Eddie has an outstanding track record. Maybe it is just that the players aren't that good? :)
Ken Catchpole's Other Leg
Roar Guru
Hatley is able to talk in a circle though.
cs
Roar Guru
No I didn't. I queried your apparent criticism on that basis. I didn't say anything about Drew before my later post. Read again.
KTinHK
Roar Pro
Oh? In your previous post you argued it was ok that he was he sticking up for his up for his mates. Now you say he wasn’t. You’re all over the place.
Rohan
Roar Rookie
Passit2me, I meant it in a longer and broader perspective, including DR's tenure and the end of year Euro tour. We seemed to just drop players rather than try to improve them, and we didn't seem to let combinations develop at test level. For example, for this RWC I would have selected White and Lolesio as one combination based on their Brumbies Super experience, Tate and Carter as another as more of a project. I'd have probably taken Fines as well, a future pick as White's coming towards the end of his international career, and a guy that can cover a couple of spots. The rumour mill is saying Gordon is gonna be dropped at 10 with Donaldson moving there from 15 as a result of the Fiji game. If so, it's another knee jerk response, one that forgets what happened last time we played Wales with Donaldson at 10, and one that doesn't do much for Gordon's confidence.
Crusher_13
Roar Rookie
There is a 2024 super rugby season and test schedule. Perfect opportunity to see if the new boys have developed and give them time in the wallabies. The RWC is not the place to experiment.
Ken Catchpole's Other Leg
Roar Guru
The only peep I heard was through Carter Gordon, a message of support, I’m with ya mate if you need me, that sort of thing. For some opinionators that, combined with silence towards his career killer, equates to a tantrum, ‘petulant’ Quade, and various other labels Salem would resonate with.