Since replacing Dave Rennie at the head of the Wallabies last January, Eddie Jones has four defeats in as many games. Saturday, in New Zealand, facing a very extensively reshuffled All Blacks – a final review of the workforce before the announcement of the 33 elected for the World Cup on Monday by Ian Foster -, Australia again bowed , 23-20. One more setback that did not dampen the frenzied optimism of the Wallabies coach.
To the question are you confident for the World Cup (September 8 to October 28), Eddie Jones answered, bravado, “100%”! “Actually, I think we will win it. If I could bet on it, I would. But I think you’ll be in trouble if you bet…” Coué method?
“I can’t say I’m happy. Four losses are four losses. But are we making progress? You know, sometimes the scorecard doesn’t reflect what you’re actually doing and it’s hard for people to understand. I think we are definitely going in the right direction. But we have to win matches.”
He then spoke about the state of mind of his players. “We don’t want to forget that feeling (of defeat). We have a group of devastated men but if we learn from this defeat it will be the most powerful lesson. It will be more than a doctorate from the University of Otago,” Eddie Jones quipped, adding to his opponent: “Even though I hate New Zealand rugby, I have great admiration for the way which they continue to do the things they are good at.”
The Wallabies will complete their preparation for the World Cup with a warm-up match against France on August 27 at the Stade de France. They will start the World Cup group stage against Georgia on September 9 and then face Fiji, Wales and Portugal.
