Rugby: New Wallabies coach Eddie Jones declares ‘I’m not the messiah’
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
Australia's Eddie Jones speaking during the official announcement of his arrival as head coach for the Australian rugby team in Sydney.
PHOTO: AFP
Follow topic:
SYDNEY – New Wallabies coach Eddie Jones on Tuesday declared that he is “not the messiah”, but he is aiming to win the 2023 World Cup in France.
The polarising veteran has been lured back to coach Australia
Starting his second stint in the top job – which he held between 2001 and 2005 – Jones said Australian rugby needed to rediscover a “certain panache”.
“What wins World Cups and the hearts of people are teams that play with spirit,” the 63-year-old told reporters.
“We want pride back in Australian rugby. That’s the most important thing.
“But everyone needs to roll their sleeves up. 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.”
Australia slumped to sixth in the World Rugby rankings after a disappointing 2022 tour of the Northern Hemisphere, where they lost to Italy for the first time.
The Australian said that despite their poor run of results, the Wallabies would be contenders at the World Cup in September.
“We’ve got to win the World Cup. If we win, it changes things for rugby in Australia,” he said.
“There are about six teams that are separated by a cigarette paper. It’s so tight.”
Jones held his first press conference since starting the job at Matraville Sports High, the Sydney school where he famously played with legendary Wallabies fly-half Mark Ella.
Signed to a five-year contract, he said it was his mission to strengthen Australian rugby.
“I’m not the messiah,” he said.
“Everyone is in this together, but 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.”
New Zealander Rennie, who took over from Michael Cheika at the end of 2019, was fired after only five wins from 14 Tests in 2022.
Jones coached the Wallabies to the final of the 2003 World Cup in Sydney, which they lost to England in extra time.
A renowned taskmaster, he was sacked by England in December.
He was also clear that he did not want to talk about his previous job or his sudden exit from Twickenham.
“England’s a chapter which I enjoyed, loved it, but it’s closed,” he said. AFP, REUTERS
