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‘This wasn’t right’: Eddie Jones doubles down on infamous ‘role models’ jab
With one eye on the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia, former Wallabies coach Eddie Jones has doubled down on his infamous “role models” dig after leaving Michael Hooper out of the World Cup squad.
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There was no room for Hooper on the plane to France as the 33-man squad set off with the weight of expectation resting on their shoulders without one of their original Rugby Championship co-captains.
Playmakers Quade Cooper and Bernard Foley were also famously left out, with then-four Test Wallaby Carter Gordon named as the sole fly-half in the group.
The Wallabies were already 0-4 at that stage after collecting the wooden spoon in The Rugby Championship, and they went on to create unwanted history at the sport’s showpiece event with a pool stage exit.
But the worst was yet to come. Much to the surprise of the rugby world, Jones explained the staggering omission of the experienced trio by suggesting they weren’t good “role models.”
That irked fans even more. Hooper was himself a four-time John Eales Medallist and the most capped captain in Wallabies history – while the other two would’ve brought much-needed skill, grace and poise to the World Cup table.
But the man known around the rugby world as ‘Eddie’ has no regrets. It was all about building for the future with Australia set to host the men’s World Cup in 2027.
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“Not at all mate, not at all,” Jones told James Graham on The Bye Round Podcast.
“I always think you’re better off making that decision earlier. Sometimes for a coach that means a bit of pain at the start of your tenure.
“I just felt at that time, those players weren’t right for the team.
“It’s a combination of factors: it’s how you play, how you handle yourself off the field, what’s your relationship like with the younger players, are you the role model to develop that talent?
“For older players you’re looking for role models to develop the talent coming through, apart from obviously playing well.
“I just made that decision, ‘Nah, this wasn’t right,’ and we needed to just cut the ties and go forward.”
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Every rugby fan has an opinion on Eddie Jones’ stint with the Wallabies – and not many are positive. But in Jones’ defence, the Wallabies needed to change.
Jones “wanted to change the game” after returning to Australia, and many believed the coach both could and would for quite some time. The 63-year-old was seen as Rugby Australia’s savour.
It just didn’t go to plan. Even with an eye to the future, few expected the young Wallabies to struggle so much throughout a difficult 2023 – winning just two of nine Tests.
“There was a couple of things. Firstly I thought, Australia had a barren period for 20 years. We haven’t won the Bledisloe Cup… I wanted to change things,” Jones said.
“I got there, I got to Australia… you work out who’s in the room, you work out, ‘right can I work with this group of players or do I need to change it to go where we need to go’, which is to win a World Cup in 2027.
“2023 was always going to be difficult, mate. I had three days of training before our first game in The Rugby Championship so to change the team that had been eighth or ninth to win that World Cup was always going to be problematic.
“It was about, ‘alright what can I do here to get the best result?’ And that’s not to say we couldn’t win the World Cup but the reality was we needed to build something that could win the World Cup when Australia hosts it in 2027.
“I had a look at the room and felt we’re not going to do it with these guys… I thought we’ve got to do a total rebuild here.
“There’s obviously risk with that… I’d rather set Australia up to be successful in 2027.”
Comments on RugbyPass
I bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
19 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
7 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
19 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
9 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
9 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
28 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
19 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
28 Go to commentsThis sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
19 Go to commentsThe rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
90 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
4 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
9 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
19 Go to comments