Rugby news 2022: Ex coaches conspiring against the Wallabies at World Cup in France doubles

The Wallabies’ latest defeat has only emphasised that unless things change dramatically, next year’s World Cup is shaping as a repeat of their humiliating 2019 campaign when an ex coach sunk them.

Wallabies coach Dave Rennie has plenty on his plate.

Just two matches into Australia’s end of season tour to Europe, the alarm bells are ringing louder than ever.

Australian rugby has learnt the hard way that there’s nothing more dangerous than a jilted ex coach and now there are two threatening to ruin the Wallabies’ 2023 World Cup hopes.

Michael Cheika, now in charge of Argentina, masterminded the Pumas to an historical win at Twickenham against England, coached by Eddie Jones.

The twin threat to the struggling Wallabies is they are now almost certain to face one of those sides in next year’s World Cup quarter-finals.

While there was no shame in the Wallabies’ losing to France by a solitary point on the weekend, there’s also no honour in snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

For all the talk about how the Wallabies are close to turning things around, they’re not fooling anyone but themselves after pushing the Six Nations champions to the brink only to throw it away by panicking at the end.

England head coach Eddie Jones (right) and Michael Cheika, now in charge of Argentina, will be eager to take down Australia in next year’s World Cup.

Saturday’s 30-29 defeat in Paris wasn’t just some aberration. It was another sorry example of a team that melts as soon as the heat gets turned up.

Their backslappers will tell you otherwise, but the brutal truth is the Wallabies have not only lost their ruthless edge but they’ve also forgotten how to close out tight matches.

Unless things change dramatically, next year’s World Cup in France is shaping as a repeat of their humiliating 2019 campaign, when the Wallabies were booted out in the quarter-finals.

With just 10 months to go before the start of the next tournament, the Wallabies are in worse shape than they were last time.

In the three seasons that Dave Rennie has been head coach, the Wallabies have managed just 12 victories from 31 Tests, at a measly winning strike-rate of less than 40%. In matches played away from home, that drops to less than 24%.

There is no sign of a quick fix because the team remains unsettled. Only once has Rennie selected the same starting line-up for two successive matches, preventing players from establishing combinations.

If the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results, anyone who thinks that strategy is going to work should be locked up in the loony bin right away.

France's Anthony Jelonch is tackled by two Wallabies during Australia’s disappointing loss at Stade de France in Paris at the weekend. Picture: AFP

It backfired last time and even though Rugby Australia’s out-of-touch leaders are hearing the same desperate cries from the Wallabies’ long suffering supporters, the message doesn’t seem to be getting through.

While the rugby faithful just want to see the tough calls made that will get the Wallabies back to winning ways, they’re getting fed ludicrous suggestions from administrators about how playing exhibition matches alongside the Kiwis will solve anything.

That’s just corporate babble of the worst kind, because time is quickly running out to save the Wallabies from another World Cup catastrophe.

It’s already been 23 years since the Wallabies last won the Webb Ellis Cup and the prospects of a change in fortunes next year are not looking great with England or the Pumas looming as quarter-final opponents.

Since Jones took over as coach, England have won 10 of their 11 Tests against Australia.

And although Cheika only took over the reins of Argentina this year, he has already engineered historic wins over Australia, New Zealand and England.

If the Wallabies blow the deal again next year, no-one can say they weren’t warned.