In a press conference, Eddie Jones was obviously bombarded with questions about the presence of Steve Hansen at the Wallabies training camp in the Paris region. A prestigious stint – Hansen led more than 100 All Blacks Tests which he led to the title of world champion in 2015 – which created controversy in New Zealand, the two neighbors not being the best friends on a rugby pitch. So much so that even New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins had to comment on this “treason”.
“With Steve, we have been together since 1998. We have a long relationship and we appreciate each other’s company, Eddie Jones reminded journalists who questioned him on Tuesday. We brought him in to see what we’re doing. Like a mate who walks in and has a beer and you ask, ‘What do you think? What can we improve on?’…”
The new coach of the Wallabies, who has not yet tasted victory (four matches, four defeats) then clarified his expectations. “There are two main areas: quality of training and leadership of a team. Steve looks at both, and every time he speaks, there’s wisdom in what he says.”
Passing through for a few days, free of charge, Steve Hansen would have been well received by Australian players according to Eddie Jones. “They like good people to come to our training camp. They want to improve. And they can see with Steve… Well, just look at his CV. Their attitude is really positive towards him.
Australia will face the Blues on Sunday (5:45 p.m.) at the Stade de France in the last warm-up match for the two teams. And Eddie Jones, if he assured that his team would aim for victory, stressed that “the result would not, however, be the most important thing”. “This match is especially important in our progress.”
