Eddie Jones left his role as England’s head coach last year and was re-appointed as Australia’s coach in January; He replaced Dave Rennie, who oversaw a poor run of form which saw the Wallabies slump to sixth in the world rankings.
By Amar Mehta
Last Updated: 31/01/23 8:05am
Eddie Jones was officially unveiled as Australia’s new coach on Tuesday at Matraville Sports High School. Pic Karen Watson/Rugby Australia
Eddie Jones believes Australia can win the Rugby World Cup later this year but has warned everyone in Australian rugby union has to “roll their sleeves up” to help reignite the game.
Jones was dismissed as England’s head coach last year but was back in work almost immediately after he replaced Dave Rennie, who left the Australia role after just five wins in 2022.
The 63-year-old, who coached the Wallabies between 2001 and 2005, gave his first press conference on Tuesday, since being reappointed earlier in January.
Jones has penned a five-year contract and says those five years – which are punctuated by a 2025 Lions tour and a Rugby World Cup on home soil in 2027 – will be critical in reshaping rugby in Australia.
His immediate focus will be on September’s World Cup in France and he has just five Tests to prepare a side with a 5-9 record in 2022, including two Tests against the All Blacks, with Jones keen on ending Australia’s 21-year Bledisloe Cup drought sooner rather than later.
Speaking at his old school, Matraville Sports High School in Sydney, Jones said his side can win the World Cup later this year by being “aggressive”.
“I reckon we’ve got to draw a line in the sand and where we’ve been and work out where we want to go … then everyone needs to roll their sleeves up,” he said.
“We can’t do it by ourselves. We need everyone in the rugby community to find a bit more and they can. There’s plenty of people who love rugby when the Wallabies win, so we’re going to win, but we need them to maybe help start it.
“There’s plenty of talented players, but talent doesn’t win World Cups,” Jones said.
“What wins World Cups and wins hearts of people are teams that play with that same spirit the Ellas (Mark, Glen and Gary Ella) had, being aggressive and playing with a certain panache.
“We want to play tough. You want to win those tight games by one or two points, and that’s the traditional Australian digger spirit. We want that in the team.”
Jones previously coached the Wallabies between 2001 and 2005, where he took the side to the World Cup final in 2003. Pic Karen Watson/Rugby Australia
‘I’m not the messiah’
Australia’s form in recent years has seen them slump to sixth in the world rankings but Jones believes there is little between the top teams ahead of a big year in international rugby.
The Wallabies play France on August 26, before September’s World Cup in the same country, which sees Australia in Pool C with Wales, Fiji, Georgia and Portugal and he could face former side England in the quarter-finals.
“If you look at world rugby at the moment, there are six teams not separated by a cigarette paper. They’re so tight,” he added.
“And the team that learns the most over the next nine months will be the team that lifts the William Webb Ellis Trophy at the Stade de France on the 28th of October at about 11 o’clock in the evening.”
Jones replaced Dave Rennie as Australia head coach earlier this month
Australia goes into the World Cup later this year as two-time winners, and Jones has stressed everyone within the sport needs to work together if they are to regain the title they last won in 1999.
“I’m thrilled to be back home in Australia and couldn’t think of a better place to come back to then here in the heart of Sydney’s grassroots,” he said.
“It’s imperative we win the hearts and minds of young Australians and to get them playing rugby and supporting their national teams.
“I think I made the point that I’m not the messiah, everyone’s in this together. Sometimes you just need someone to beat the drum.
“And that gets everyone walking a bit faster. And maybe that’s the role at the moment. But as we go forward, it’s going to be about everyone working together.”