'Coaching staff is outstanding': Eddie assistant's bold call on 'eclectic' crew - despite their smash and grab flop

SAINT ETIENNE – Wallabies assistant Dan Palmer has defended Eddie Jones’ “eclectic” coaching group despite the team teetering on the verge of a humiliating World Cup exit.

While Jones is in the spotlight over reports he has interviewed for the vacant Japan role, his choice of assistants has also been questioned with the campaign lurching.

With David Rath and Neil Craig coming from AFL backgrounds, and Brett Hodgson and Jason Ryles from rugby league, Jones has taken an unusual approach to building his assistants roster.

He has former Wallabies prop Palmer as lineout coach, a scrum half turned maul coach in Pierre-Henry Broncon, and forwards coach Neal Hatley from union in the set-up.

“We believe we have a quality coaching staff to plan and prepare the team for a smash and grab campaign, winning the Bledisloe Cup and finishing winning the Rugby World Cup. It is experienced, diverse and adaptable. Ready to smash and grab,” said Jones in May.

Events have turned out quite differently.

None of Dave Rennie’s staff remained and some key figures have felt miffed they were not involved.

Brumbies legend Laurie Fisher warned back in July that the level of coaching turnover made it difficult for Jones to get the players up to speed.

“It can be simple (but) I don’t think it is with the Wallabies at the moment,” Fisher told The Roar after the team lost the second Test of Jones’ comeback – against Argentina.

“There’s a lot of change in coaching personnel – new attack coach, new defence coach, new scrum coach, new maul coach, new lineout coach, new head coach. There’s a lot of change there.

“I’m not in the environment so I don’t know how the information is coming in and how that all gets shared around. I think if you had a team that were well honed in what they were doing, and you had a bad day, then it can turn around in an instant. But we’re still discovering ourselves really which is not an ideal part of where we are at the moment.”

As results have continued to go south, others have looked at the make-up of the coaching staff, but Palmer backed his colleagues on Wednesday.

Dan Palmer during the Australian Wallabies training session at Sanctuary Cove on June 29, 2023 in Gold Coast, Australia. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)

“The coaching staff out here have been outstanding,” Palmer told reporters.

“There’s been a little bit of chat about people from different codes, but that’s been a strength.

“There is a lot of rugby IP in the coaching group and the perspective from guys from different codes has been really helpful.

“That’s going back to things I’ve learned. Guys like (David Rath) Rathy from AFL – in terms of skill acquisition, I’ve thought about things I haven’t had to think about before, and that’s purely because we’ve got different perspectives in the coaching group.

“Contrary to the current narrative, I think it’s a strength in this group that we’ve got an eclectic group of coaches.”

Even if Jones survived the current upheaval into next year he will be without Palmer, who is heading to Leicester Tigers to assist Dan McKellar.

It’s not out of the realms of possibility that Palmer could be doing a quick U-turn to a Wallabies tracksuit, with McKellar one of the front runners to take over from Jones should he and Rugby Australia part ways.

 (Photo by Jono Searle/Getty Images)

Palmer was asked if seeing the pressure Jones was under right now had altered any ambitions he might have to be a head coach himself one day.

“It hasn’t pushed me one way or the other but it has to be the right team at the right time. The time would have to be right for me to do that – but it would be something I’d be interested in.”

He said he had learned a lot from this experience.

“I wouldn’t be able to summarise it now but I’ve learnt everything from how I coach, how I approach the group, how we prepare the group.”

Hodgson is perhaps the most maligned of the coaches by the Wallabies fans.

Fisher called him out after the Argentina game.

“They have a new defensive coach [Brett Hodgson] who’s never coached rugby union, hasn’t played rugby union,” he said.

“He’s obviously working on connection and kick chase and first phase. Is he also talking about what is our contest policy between the 15s, what do you do in our own 22? I saw guys having a crack, but I didn’t see a designated policy of how we’re going to get some pressure on their ball.”

Under World Rugby rules teams are to make coaches and players available for media commitments. As well as Jones, Palmer, Broncon, Hatley and Ryles have fronted up to multiple press conferences but we’ve yet to hear boo from Hodgson.

However, the former NSW State of Origin player has been a big help to Andrew Kellaway.

“As a fullback, you get different perspectives, and I know there’s been a heap of chat around the correlation between league and union, but for me, Hodgo’s played in big games, and he played the same position that I do,” Kellaway said on Wednesday.

“I’ve found him incredibly useful and not to mention he’s a top bloke, so just having someone to have someone to talk to around the group.”

Kellaway was asked if there was difference in terminology or trends between league and union and if he felt Hodgson was up to speed.

“I’m not sure if I am up to speed with it and it’s changing all the time, it changes every week, so he’s as up to speed as the rest of us; I don’t think that would be any issue,” said Kellaway, who revealed he was a fan of the Wests Tigers when Hodgson was in his prime.

“Little fella with a big heart, he had a crack. I didn’t watch a heap of league growing up but I’m a Wests Tigers fan, so any Wests Tigers people coming into camp is a bit of a morale boost.

“I’ve got my Tigers jersey back at the hotel but he refused to sign it. It’s Balmain Tigers and he’s Wests Magpies technically.”