Eddie Jones is to be reunited with eight of his World Cup Wallabies when he takes charge of a Barbarians invitation team in Cardiff – just five days after quitting as Australia coach.
And in his first public appearance since his resignation on Monday, Jones told reporters on Wednesday (Thursday AEDT) he believed his job as Australia coach would have been compromised had he stayed in the role.
Jones was adamant “20 years of unsuccessful rugby” had been down to the system in Australian rugby.
It’s ironic that in his first job since the end to his dismal reign as national coach that Jones will be guiding not just eight Wallabies who failed to get past the group stage at the World Cup but also two he left out the squad amid much controversy.
For both flanker Michael Hooper, the veteran star whose exclusion was emblematic of Jones’s gamble on youth in France, and fit-again centre Len Ikitau will be in the Barbarians’ starting XV to play Wales at the Principality Stadium on Saturday (Sunday AEDT).
Jones has picked six – starters Rob Leota and Rob Valetini, and replacements Angus Bell, Tom Hooper, Ben Donaldson and Andrew Kellaway – who all featured in the record 40-6 hiding by Wales that sealed Australia’s fate at the World Cup.
Prop Taniela Tupou and Izaia Perese, also in Jones’s France squad, will be in Saturday’s starting line-up too.
Asked about his resignation in Cardiff on Wednesday, Jones told reporters: “Post-World Cup there was always going to be a decision to be made whether we were going to change Australian rugby or not.
“I went in with a plan and had a commitment from Rugby Australia what that looked like.
“When the unity of where we were going wasn’t the same – not because of the lack of desire from Rugby Australia but there’s other forces at play – then the only thing I could do was resign.
“Obviously, the results are disappointing, but I went in there with a plan to change Australian rugby, which not only involves the team but the system to put it together.
“When you’ve had 20 years of unsuccessful rugby, that’s because of the system. I went in with a plan of how to change the system and that’s unable to be changed.
Michael Hooper and Eddie Jones (Photo by Getty Images)
“I felt my job would be compromised for the next four years, which I wasn’t prepared to do.”
As usual, Jones had plenty of outspoken views, including some on his former England employers.
Asked how far he could have taken England at the World Cup, Jones replied: “That’s not a question, that’s a dream.”
He also had advice for Steve Borthwick, his successor who took England to the semi-finals of the World Cup, insisting the gifted Marcus Smith wasn’t a fullback and needed to be utilised at five-eighth to get the best out of him.
As for his own coaching future, Jones ruled out any prospect of returning to Australia as coach of the British and Irish Lions in 2025.
“I have moved from the northern hemisphere to the southern hemisphere,” he said.
“I had my go with England, I loved coaching England, and I wouldn’t want to be involved in the Lions. Not at all.”
Jones insists he does not have another job lined up. Last month it was reported that he was interviewed by Japan, whom he coached from 2012 to 2015, days before the World Cup started.
“I think it is a red herring,” he added.
“Look at Australian rugby, over the last 20 years we have had no success, limited success and we needed to change things.
“Now we are trying to say a supposed interview was the reason why Australia had a bad World Cup. That is a load of rubbish.”
Jones also played down his comments last week where he said he left Hooper out of the World Cup squad because he wasn’t the right role model for the Wallabies in France.
Jones said it was a non-issue them being in the same squad.
“It’s a game of rugby that is a celebration of the game, 50,000 people at the stadium to see us play against Wales,” said Jones.
Wallabies head coach Eddie Jones speaks to the media during a Rugby Australia press conference at Coogee Oval on October 17, 2023 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)
“We’ve got a good team, so it should be a great occasion for rugby. I’ve always enjoyed coaching against Warren’s teams. They’re tough and competitive.
“You know the way they’re going to play and I think that’s a strength of his teams. If you can’t win the fight you can’t stay in the game. This is going to be a different game.
“We’re the Barbarians and we want to play a bit more and open the game up. If Wales go away from that uncompromising style, it’ll be a fantastic game.”
The emotional focus in Cardiff will be on the send-off for the great lock Alun Wyn Jones, who’ll captain the Baa-Baas against the team he led with such distinction while earning a record 158 Welsh caps.
FunBus
Roar Rookie
I’m confident that if I had been head coach of the Wallabies at the RWC, their results would have been no worse.
FunBus
Roar Rookie
If I’d paid 20k or whatever to follow the WBs to the RWC, I think I’d put a brick through his window.
FunBus
Roar Rookie
Yes, the Lions board will be bereft that Eddie has ruled himself out. Apparently, the plan was to have Eddie as supreme Head Coach with Quade Cooper and Justin Bieber as his assistants. Not sure the Lions will be able to pull this round in just two years after this bitter blow.
Cannonball
Roar Rookie
Maybe digging slower then?
jeznez
Roar Guru
I’m not convinced of that until we see a clean out of those that have brought us to this point.
Cannonball
Roar Rookie
At least we’ve stopped digging now :thumbup:
cs
Roar Guru
Probably. 12 is the only other possibility, I reckon.
Kent Dorfman
Roar Rookie
any Wallabies coach is on a bit of a hiding to nothing with so many regular tests against the AB's & Boks. hard to get confidence & wins when you play the 2 most successful nations so often.
Riktor
Roar Rookie
" Have always thought Perese a 12 (less time to think!). " The wings and 13 wont get the ball if he plays 12. He is a wing nothing more.
Don
Roar Rookie
I think the past year has shown that Eddie isn't a coach. :shocked: Certainly not a good one...
Qualify
Roar Rookie
This embarrassment should lead to more rugby and improvement. If it doesn't, than no one really cares. Which would suck.
Cec
Roar Rookie
That’s fair in that every WB would have loved to see us lift the 03 and 15 trophies and that should be the expectation, but we also know how damn hard it is to get to the last dance and that shouldn’t be ignored. I know at least one former #1 team that would’ve liked to at least have a shot at two grand finals. Eddie just needed to keep it simple and retain most of DR team and strategy rather than gamble which he knows now unless his ego is still getting in the way. Agree that we have the cattle but perhaps not the coaching and development structures as we simply don’t have the same number of games & training days invested into players; just look at the guys going o/s for those extra days competing and training and how they look coming back relative to peers of the same age; a noticeable difference for me was way back when White came back. A quick look at young 10s from NH vs SH, and Ntamack 107 games with Toulouse vs Donaldson 50 games with Randwick/Tahs and both are 24yrs old. The closest to Ntamack is Noah at 23yrs with 60 games for Vikings/Brums. Get similar games & training for our guys and I suspect they would be closer to their NH counterparts. Let’s hope this last campaign is a catalyst for lasting change for more games, training, pathways and some alignment.
Botticelli
Roar Rookie
I find many of the comments here hard to make sense of. Most people must not have much knowledge about strategy and it’s execution. Looking at the Eddie Jones saga through this lens paints Eddie in a completely different light to how the “group think” is painting him. In my view, Eddie Jones was part of (and a key player in) a broad strategy to significantly change Australian rugby. Obviously there is severe resistance to the proposed changes in some quarters and an orchestrated campaign was run to take Eddie out and in doing so stop/obstruct the restructuring. It seems this campaign has succeeded. Accordingly it’s likely we are going to get served up the same crap results for the next 20 years. Yes, Eddie said some controversial things and did some controversial things. But everything he said and did makes sense in light of his strategic intent. Even in this interview Eddie speaks the truth. But those resisting the restructure will make sure it’s an “Eddie problem” not a “system problem”, and they will use the average punter to get traction with this false perspective.
The Flying Pig
Roar Rookie
It really is quite an achievement to totally alienate the rugby publics of both England & Australia inside 12 months.
Nunga
Roar Rookie
Eddie needs professional help. Somebody needs to actually sit down with Eddie and make him see how unstable and erratic his behaviour has been. Anyone that has been around rugby knows that he has always had these traits, but this was next level. Discarding anybody who challenged him; player, coach or manager. The public never heard how bad morale in the World Cup camp got with players coming home early injured or not. It was a sad day when we got him back and a good day when he was pushed back out the door still running his mouth trying to justify the behaviour. He is like one of those wind up toys that no matter many times you bash it with a hammer; you can’t kill it.
Paul D
Roar Rookie
Discarded him how? By starting him in the quarter final where Australia was knocked out by England?
Kevin Kranston
Roar Rookie
And then he discarded him for the RWC finals in 2019?
In From The Side
Roar Rookie
They’ll be super glad he hasn’t done that. They’re actually doing well and if he turned up they’d go backwards like the Wallabies did
In From The Side
Roar Rookie
The more he talks, the more I’m glad to see the back of him. Nothing is about Australian rugby, it’s all about him, his massive ego and his need to control everything. He really is a sad little man
East Coast Aces
Roar Rookie
This whole BS about 20 years of decline just doesn't stand up to actual facts of the rugby world. The only two countries to win the world cup going back to 2007 have been NZ and SA. We played them twice each every year. The only other trophies we haven't won in this time also involve those two countries plus the BIL which is 5 countries in one team. The only tournaments the northern hemisphere teams have won in that time don't involve NZ and SA. Whilst it's true we were the top of international rugby for brief periods in the 90s before this year and the damage Jokes did all on his own, our record would still be envied by almost every country in the world except NZ and SA.