For Eddie Jones, Wallaby salvation will come from ‘on-the-run’ rugby
This is the first in a series of commentaries and analyses that former Wallaby captain Simon Poidevin will write for the Financial Reviewduring the Rugby World Cup in France.
Buckle up, Eddie Jones is charging into his fifth Rugby World Cup campaign with the most inexperienced squad Australia has ever fielded in the four-yearly tournament.
The Wallabies will kick off with an average of 19.5 Test caps and a left-field but inspiring selection in Will Skelton as the rookie captain. Contrast this to New Zealand, selecting their most experienced World Cup squad ever, with a combined 1493 Test caps at an average of 45 caps each and in, Sam Cane, an 89-Test veteran as captain.
Eddie Jones looks on at Wallabies training in Saint-Etienne on Thursday. Getty
Is Jones nervous? Absolutely!
But for Australia he is the right man for the job. No coach has achieved more consistent success across four Rugby World Cup campaigns than Eddie Jones.
In 2003, Jones took Australia to the final in Sydney only for Johnny Wilkinson rip their hearts out with a last-minute field goal. In 2007 he was the technical advisor to Jake White’s winning South African team in Paris.
In 2015, Jones coached Japan to a stunning 34-32 pool stage victory against South Africa in Brighton. And in 2019 – in the middle of a seven-year tenure that made him England’s most successful coach ever with a 73 per cent win rate – he again made the final, this time leading England but falling to an inspired South Africa in Tokyo.
However, with zero wins from the five since returning to the Wallabies, you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who seriously thinks he can get a first win with this team. He is operating way out of his comfort zone.
But Eddie Jones is not your normal
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