Eddie Jones declared it was time to set “a new standard” for Wallabies rugby before the world’s seventh ranked team hopped on a plane for a daunting trip to Pretoria.
Jones, starting his second tenure as Wallabies coach, has been alarmed and saddened by the slide of the national team who won just 38 per cent of their Test under previous boss Dave Rennie.
And so, with his metaphorical cattle prod in hand, Jones called on the Wallabies to make history at Loftus Versfeld against the world champion Springboks.
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“Imagine being in the first (Wallabies) team that’s beaten South Africa in Pretoria. Imagine being part of that team,” Jones said at Sydney Airport on Friday morning.
“So there’s a great opportunity there… we’ve spoken about it since April. It’s an opportunity to create history here. We want to be the first team that does it… where there’s a Wallaby there’s a way.”
The truncated Rugby Championship kicks off on July 9 (AEST) and the Rugby World Cup in September-October is clearly the major prize.
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But with just five Tests to work his magic before the World Cup opener against Georgia, Jones is acutely aware of the need to strike a winning formula and build confidence.
“We’re not focused on South Africa, we’re focused on ourselves. This is a game about us. We want to put a new standard of Wallaby rugby forward. We want to set the tone for our campaign. It’s about us.”
Rehabbing stars Samu Kerevi (hamstring) and Angus Bell (foot) were included among the touring party but Andrew Kellaway, Jordan Petaia, Matt Philip and Langi Gleeson were not, as they work towards a return against either Argentina or New Zealand.
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The talk in South Africa is that the Springboks will send their crack squad to New Zealand to prepare for the All Blacks and name a weakened one against Australia.
It would make Jones’ team talk an easy one but that wasn’t the preferred scenario for the former Springboks assistant.
“What I’m hoping for is the best team. Because I want to play against the best,” he said.
Jones has been ‘Eddie Everywhere’ since re-taking the reins in dramatic fashion but he repeatedly batted away questions about his own feelings and directed them to the team.
“And it’s a new team. We want to play a different way – an Australian style of rugby. And the players are bought into it. They’re training really well… we don’t need to get ahead of ourselves. There’s a sprint. We’ve got to get out of the gates quickly. Sometimes the sprint doesn’t win the marathon.”
Jones added he was “pretty sure” about the 23 he would name next week, depending on how certain players pull up from the long haul travel and initial training sessions.
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If Kerevi is fit to start at inside centre that would be a major boost, while Jones said giant France-based locks Will Skelton and Richie Arnold were slotting in well.
“They’re progressing nicely. We’ll just assess them as we go through the week. But I had a good chat to them last night and we’re really pleased with their contribution so far.”
Jones refused to say whether starting both man mountains in the second row would be a viable strategy given the lineout permutations.
“We want to play a certain style of rugby. But there’s the opposition, the referee, and, you know, ultimately we need this style of game to be at its best for the World Cup…
“Firstly, you’ve got to think you can win. The most important thing is to have the mindset you can win.
“And so, you’ve got to be thinking that and we’re 100 per cent committed to winning. And then you’ve got to execute a game plan where you can win enough possession. Push them to the other end of the field and keep them under pressure.”
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