After so much bluster, a theatrical cattle prod and the usual Eddie Jones BS, there is, at last, an enlightening and honest moment near the end of the three-hour journey back into hell that is Stan’s Wallabies documentary.
All three hour-long episodes will be released on the streaming service at 12.01am on Thursday. While only masochists – or All Blacks fans – will be setting alarms to get stuck straight into recounting the sick and sorry reign of Jones, there is just about enough meat on the well-gnawed bones to make it a worthwhile watch.
So was the Wallabies worst-ever World Cup campaign down to the cattle or the cowboy – who decided to ride off into the sunset instead of sticking around, faced with a situation he clearly considered unfixable?
It’s clear where Jones thought the blame should go when he pulled aside veteran prop James Slipper – who he had spurned as captain months earlier in a failed attempt to revitalise the squad – the morning after the 40-6 loss to Wales that all but ended the campaign.
Eddie Jones talks with James Slipper in France. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)
“That’s the problem’, mate. We’ve got no hardness about us,” Jones told Slips, in a candid chat aired 12 minutes from the end of the third and final episode. “You know, game hardness is different to any sort of hardness. Just stick in the f–king game and do it.
“There’s none of that in Australian rugby now and that’s where the big gap is.
“You look at those Welsh players. They play 30 games a year. They’re hard and tough players. They can just stick at it. They know they’re going to do it.
“We’ve just lost that in Australian rugby. We’re not, not tough but we’re not trained to be tough now. We’re not used to playing tough. Like, it’s an exception to play tough now rather than the norm.
“It stands out like dog’s balls mate, because they are good players. And they care a lot, the players, but they’re just not hardened to play Test match rugby consistently – they’re set up for failure mate.”
For all his public support of his players (cringe all over again as you watch Eddie tell New Zealand they should “watch out”) these words to Slipper show exactly how he felt about the team’s limitations and its prospects before jumping ship.
So much happened in Australian rugby in the past 14 months, three hours can barely do it justice but the effort should be applauded.
Jones’ arrival to much fanfare, the first game in South Africa where he clashed with a reporter, his rejection of key veterans like Michael Hooper and blind faith in untested youth, that awkward ‘give yourselves uppercuts’ press conference in Sydney, so many destroyed radios and headsets and then the bombshell claim that he’d interviewed with Japan.
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But most of that we’ve already squeezed dry. As the producers try to cover all the ground, there is a lack of juice to be found.
Jones, of course, deserves main character status but, that Slips moment and a few others aside, there is not enough insight from the supposed coaching legend, just more of the same old schtick.
He talks a big game – “We’re on a mission to change Australian rugby.” But we all know how that worked out.
During one team meeting he stops suddenly and looks at his players, some of whom appear to be drifting off, to shock them back to attention.
“Izzy thinks ‘this guy’s a f–kwit’,” says Jones. The surprised look on Perese’s face suggests he might be thinking “how good is this bloke at reading minds?”
If there is anyone left in Australia who enjoys Eddie’s banter there are some glimpses.
“No-one ever tries to f–k up,” he says at one point. “Idiots parading as journalists” is his description of the Sydney Airport press pack. “Can I get a radio that works?” he demands at another moment after reducing yet another perfectly good handset to a pile of wires and plastic rubble.
It’s not just the Eddie Show, however. The documentary also focuses on several Wallabies and tells their stories.
Selecting players for these roles well in advance is always fraught and the breaks didn’t go the producers’ way. Given their time again Tom Hooper would surely be a shoo in for a role. And the absence of captain Will Skelton suggests contractual or enthusiasm issues.
Nic White’s personality shines the brightest and there’s an amusing moment where he gets the World Cup call up from manager Chris Webb while standing in front of TV crews at Parliament House while presenting Albo with a Wallabies jersey – and is told to keep the news to himself.
Michael Hooper’s honest reflection on the ugly way his omission dawned on him, shows his character.
Taniela Tupou should have been doco gold but injuries robbed him of minutes, along with his humour and joy. Instead of Tupou magic there was too much dwelling on his ailments.
With so much focus on Eddie’s odd selection of his coaching assistants, it’s unfortunate, but not unexpected, they’re all but ignored.
We get a small dash of Neil Craig and a sprinkle of Pierre-Henry Broncan but it’s crickets from others like Dan Palmer, Jason Ryles and Brett Hodgson – the only assistant who ducked media throughout his lucrative months in the program. What roles did they play – did they help or hinder Eddie, and why did he choose them? Don’t expect answers.
In fact, team doctor Sharron Flahive and team psychologist Corrine Reid – whose advice Eddie seems not that to keen to take – each get more air time than the rest of the staff combined.
Taniela Tupou and doctor Sharron Flahive. (Photo By Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile via Getty Images)
Allan Alaalatoa dominates the opening episode but the Achilles injury he suffers robs the show of a leading man before the big show even began.
Carter Gordon reacts to his rollercoaster with humour and grace while Slipper should impress anyone who’s on the fence about him with his candour.
Slipper is just as you would expect. Brutally honest and uninterested in hiding his true feelings.
Right at the end, the cameras capture the Wallabies having a few brews – Eddie laughing away on the red wines – as they cheered Portugal on for a miracle that would have extended their stay past the pool stages.
Slipper suffers throughout, his face a dark storm under a Peaky Blinders cap, looking like he might shiv his upbeat teammates.
He gets the final word: “That’s something we’ll have to live with for the rest of our lives. We’re that team. We’re those players that got knocked out in the pool. It’s going to sting for a very, very long time. I’ve put in everything – it wasn’t from a lack of trying.”
Cattle or the cowboy?
Everyone who watches this will have their own lens – on Eddie, and the team, and where it all went so horribly wrong.
As someone who was on the ground, asking Eddie to explain decisions (such as the absurd drama over Will Skelton’s tournament ending injury), I found the documentary slightly frustrating. Others who watched the horror unfold through their fingers or from behind the couch might find a lot to like across the three hours.
There are moments of insight and new information – but not quite enough for me.
And the biggest scandal in Australian sport in 2023 – the Jones link with Japan and his subsequent departure – doesn’t get the time it deserves.
Overall it feels more like a collection of Eddie’s more entertaining quotes – “they should be throwing baguettes, croissants at me” – than a serious assessment of an unfolding disaster.
The chat with Slipper teased that it could have been much more.
All three episodes of the brand new Stan Original Documentary Series The Wallabies, Inside Rugby World Cup 2023, premiere on February 22, only on Stan.
Noodles
Roar Rookie
I think the discipline issue is in the system. It gets exposed under test match pressure. But if you watch the Tahs or Reds on most days they squander opportunity. That’s why I think it’s futile to try to get a national coach to solve it. IMO the only good thing about ditching Rennie was that fully exposed the lack of any real intent to fix the local game.
ScottD
Roar Guru
To be honest, Rennie was a good but not great coach who was the best we could afford. EJ was at times brilliant, erratic, destructive. Sometimes all three at the same time. A former Wallaby once described John Mitchell to me as a brilliant coach who was also a lunatic and a fruit loop. He then said, all the best coaches are like that. It sort of sounds like Eddie a bit but he also a bit of a narcissist.
ScottD
Roar Guru
Hi mate, I don't disagree about his starting position. I just think he lost the plot about half way through. He started great, logical selections, clear game plan, good player development. I was a big fan. Then at some point I feel he turned into Chieka the second (without the attitude) with his selections and game plan. And the team discipline didn't really improve either.
Noodles
Roar Rookie
Sorry Scott. I judge by what I see. Rennie starting with barely a squad and developed a team that was challenging top sides. It’s way past time that people in Oz realised that our problem is the players and the system. We don’t allow people to develop and we don’t support a solid system. What we do is attract good coaches and sack them, which led to last years total wreck. Does anyone really think Ireland is winning consistently because of a coach?
Qualify
Roar Rookie
Haha, didn't know we're supposed to stick to end of the year results, as I could argue that that's also cherry picking, seeing as SH EOY is the NH's beginning of the year. Anyway, I digress. My point is, I think a lot of people try and defend Rennie's results because of his character, which just seems intellectually dishonest and inconsistent when looking at the other coaches. No one is willing to give Eddie the leniency of context because of all the silly remarks. Not defending him, just an interesting observation.
Cec
Roar Rookie
Hang on Q you’ve just cherry picked a point midway through a test season with 5 games still to go which are relevant but chose to ignore. :laughing: Did you just accuse someone about applying double standards? :laughing: Note, I looked at the full test season and at the end of each of those three coaching tenures with reference to those end dates. Now that’s fair rather than cherry picking. MC & DR were at #6 and Ed at #9. Eddie and Chieka chose to make their own beds with their “brash” behaviour, which may be a lenient description; & I think may also be a view in the minority. I don’t think their lambasted treatment was just about their failures, as they are big boys and could have chosen to behave differently like kumbaya Dave. Then perhaps perceptions about those two Randwick boys would be kinder.
Qualify
Roar Rookie
Wallabies dropped to 9th in 2022 after Foley's stupid indecision to kick the ball. Eddie took us to 10th. I think the Wallabies make a lot of coaches look worse than they are and that includes Rennie and Eddie. I just struggle to understand people standing up for the one with certain benchmarks, but can't apply the same standards to other coaches. My feeling is Rennie's a nice bloke who was fired, so he gets treated with kid gloves, whilst brash guys like Cheika and Eddie get lambasted after their failures.
Cec
Roar Rookie
Q just offering an alternative perspective to some here hell bent on making things up to denigrate a coach (losing record of 76%, really?). DR lowest ranking was Dec 2022 at #6, same as Chieka for Nov 2019. The lowest ranking ever for WB is #9 but that belongs to none other than Eddie on Oct 2023. The source is World Rugby website (see rankings by year & by month). It is their data not mine so no it’s not contextualising. Same goes for win/loss/draw records. It is what it is. If I’ve misrepresented facts then I’m always happy to review or rescind. But everyone gets to share an opinion but also be prepared to debate it or see different perspectives. Was DR a saint, nah don’t think so but also he wasn’t the demon. Could he of done better, absolutely but so could have any number of coaches too. I’m actually not sure why DR has been brought up now.
Qualify
Roar Rookie
Cec, you seem to be hell bent on defending Rennie despite his failed tenure at the Wallabies. He couldn’t get the best out of the players. Just like the previous coaches. Not saying it’s his fault alone, the players and the structures (not to mention the culture) are certainly at fault as well, but to pretend as if Rennie is this Saint that can do no wrong is a bit of an exaggeration. You mention below that he took the Wallabies to #3, well, he also took them to an all time low of #9. You can try and contextualize it all you like, but then I wonder if you’d extend that same courtesy to the previous coaches, like Cheika?
Cec
Roar Rookie
Q I think you’ll find that the WB players choked not those coaches. DR remember had a three-peat of RWC u20s titles and I think you’ll find his boys there went on to win back to back RWC 11 & 15. Plus DR went back to back SR titles. Deans has run out of room in his trophy cabinet; and he should have been the ABs coach too. Those two Kiwis are very much part of the system that is the ABs of the past 20yrs so “choke” doesn’t seem appropriate to use in the same sentence with these two coaches. Our recent RWC, now that was a “choke” in terms of hiring Eddie, his selections and lack of coaching strategy.
Cec
Roar Rookie
CPM. Need a calculator? :laughing: 13 wins, 18 losses and 3 draws. So it ain’t great but a winning record of 41.93% if you don’t count draws against DR, which doesn’t sound like you would. 38.23% win record if you count draws against DR. Either way you are wrong with 76% :laughing:. DR is on par with Chieka if you take out all those Tier 2 wins that Clown accumulated. And DR was far better than 0% (Nippon Eddie’s record vs Tier 1 teams in the first year of his contract)
Cec
Roar Rookie
Eddie / Hodgson / Ryles / Hamish…sayonara :laughing:
Cec
Roar Rookie
Perth. Rennie took the WB to #3. That year won the FRA series, beat the Boks back to back and then beat ARG back to back too. That was the last time DR was able to pick that full compliment of players as key injuries & lack of player availability in test windows and Gits Law limited choices. No diea why Hamish insisted on Gits Law then for DR but opened the doors for Eddie. His last spring tour DR came within 3pts of beating #1 and #2 back to back and a 4-1 result. Tests is such fine margins. 100% know that DR would not have gone out of RWC pool stages. 42% ain’t great but you ignore the circumstances on player availability, like for the WAL game DR only had 24 players left to choose from and still won off our best come from behind result. Ask any senior player or senior coach rather than rely on “it must be an Aussie” brigade or the GPS old boys on here. DR had built a group ready for RWC and those players were available until a couple of f’wits like Eddie & Hamish took a shiz in their own backyard.
Noodles
Roar Rookie
I reckon that idea of the WBs coach rallying SR clubs might be at the heart of our problems. The Hamster in some ways did us a favour by taking it all to the extreme end. Amid the wreckage we can swim, or sink.
cs
Roar Guru
The 'hardness' thing is a self-serving tautology. Had we won the cup, we would have possessed the requisite 'hardness'; as we not only failed but went down the toilet, we didn't. Tell us something we didn't know Eddie.
Bliksem
Roar Rookie
The softness is more in the mind. When the pressure comes on can they stay positive, calm andd focussed?
JD Kiwi
Roar Rookie
Obviously I meant to say that it's Ntmack who complained about playing too many games.
Qualify
Roar Rookie
No. Not silly at all. I just think we've (yes, me included) been in denial for a bit too long. It's interesting that you mention a qf as good enough now, because everyone was calling for Cheika's head after his qf exit. I think walking away with integrity is a seperate issue and factors into to lack of hardness equation. Ie, we're putting good behavior and character above results to an extent. I genuinely think it was time someone placed some of the blame at the players feet. Obviously he was protecting his own interests as well, but he isn't entirely wrong. I can't help but feel that a culture's been fostered since even before the Mckenzie and Patson saga, where players are protected at all costs. People even lashed out at Brad Thorne for ejecting certain players. I'm not saying they should be treated like sheep and should only do what they're told, but clearly we're missing the balance in Australia. I sincerely believe we're (and have been for some time now) lacking in the mental toughness department, and it's all too clear at SR level. I think they've got to find something bigger to play for, I don't know, I've probably watched Chasing the Sun too many times, but we certainly don't have the grit of the Saffas and Kiwi's. It's a pitty because we don't lack talent. That we have in abundance. They've got to learn to get comfortable in the well.
Qualify
Roar Rookie
That's my point. Didn't have much to work with. We can't expect miracles from the Wallabies when the players arrive unfit (or not at the required standard) from their SR teams. I get that you can't blame the National head coach for this, but surely he has to rally those below him to get everyone on the same page. I hope the new Performance Manager gets buy in from everyone straight through clubs to schools even.
Cadfael
Roar Guru
To be fair to Eddie his comment "“You look at those Welsh players. They play 30 games a year. They’re hard and tough players. They can just stick at it. They know they’re going to do it." is spot on. SRP plays 15 rounds, there are 12 teams, perhaps if we had full home and away. I do think what Jones was getting at was tghe NH players play much more rugby than we do. Like the premiership in England, 10 teams but full home and away for a 18 round comp plus finals. Thenm the URC on top of that.