Quade Cooper says Wallabies had ‘no plan’ for Rugby World Cup under Eddie Jones

SYDNEY – Former Wallabies fly-half Quade Cooper said a lack of expertise among Eddie Jones’ support staff left Australia without the proper systems in place to compete at the World Cup in 2023.

The 35-year-old was omitted from the tournament squad, along with long-time captain Michael Hooper and another experienced fly-half in Bernard Foley. The two-time world champions exited in the pool stage for the first time.

Cooper had been in camp with the Wallabies all year up until the squad were announced, and said the level of preparation was in no way comparable to the detailed plans put in place by Jones’ predecessor Dave Rennie.

“One of the things I struggled with in these last six months leading into the World Cup was we didn’t really have a plan,” he told the Sydney Morning Herald.

“We had some great communication and talking around the game, but when you go into a game with no real plan or structure and no system, that makes it really difficult as a playmaker. Everybody is looking to each other. Are you going to do that? Am I in that ruck? It was quite tough.

“Winning is based on how well you prepare and the ability to execute the small details.”

Cooper added that the selection of some of the assistant coaches defied common sense. “Key individuals around Eddie lacked significant expertise,” he said. “As players, we tried to buy into what he was preaching, as not doing so would paint us as a detriment.

“However, common sense was hard to ignore, and it was remarkable that Rugby Australia couldn’t see it. For instance, Jason Ryles, a rugby league prop, served as an attack coach for the Wallabies at a World Cup. How much did he truly know about rugby attack?”

Cooper admitted he had been upset at being cut from the World Cup squad and bothered by Jones’ later suggestion that he, Hooper and Foley were no longer the right role models for younger players.

“My philosophy is to be the best I can be. It’s about building good habits and foundations. That’s a winning mindset,” the 79-cap playmaker said. “When people want to push the blame on others, that isn’t a winning mindset.

“At the end of the day, he (Jones) wasn’t receptive to new ideas, which is why I found it hard to believe he questioned myself, Hoops’, and Foles’ desire to win.”

Jones, 63, quit the Australia job less than a year into a five-year contract in October, having led the Wallabies to two wins in nine tests. In early December he was reappointed as coach of Japan.

He had repeatedly denied media reports that he had been interviewed by Japan during the World Cup, with All Blacks great Sonny Bill Williams calling him a “disgrace” for lying.

Jones, however, maintained his stance. “I didn’t do an interview before the World Cup,” he insisted. “I was asked by the recruitment agency to share my experiences on Japan and some people might have construed that as an interview.

“The first interview I had with Japan was in December. I don’t feel any guilt at all about this process.” REUTERS, AFP