Eddie Jones brings referees to Wallabies training to address discipline issues

The Wallabies will fly to South Africa on Friday with a new plan under new coach Eddie Jones as they look to end a horror run in Pretoria.

Wallabies coach Eddie Jones can only do so much. Picture: Chris Hyde/Getty Images

Terrible discipline was identified as a major issues for the Wallabies in 2022 and new coach Eddie Jones has gone the extra mile to address it by having referees at every training session before his team flies to South Africa.

The path to the World Cup begins with a clash against the Springboks at Loftus Versfeld where the Wallabies are winless in seven games.

Last year the Wallabies won just five of 14 Tests, with ill-discipline a key plank in the underperforming that ultimately resulted in coach Dave Rennie being sacked and replaced by Jones, who is now in charge for a second time.

While reshaping the squad and working on a number of areas has been part of Jones’s program, Wallabies halfback Nic White said the presence of the referees at training on the Gold Coast this week was another part of the coach’s meticulous preparation.

“Talking a lot about those penalties (in 2022), I feel like a lot of them were through good intentions, (it’s) just understanding that under pressure there’s a feel to want to do something to win back that momentum, just understanding that teams are going to have momentum against us,” White said.

“And what we can’t do is give them free shots at us through discipline. Talking about it, training it, having a referee at training to be on top of those things, we’re certainly well on top of that and know where we are there.

“It’s an area that we feel like we can fix pretty quickly.”

Eddie Jones is teaching the Wallabies a lot. Picture: Chris Hyde/Getty Images

Hailed as Australian rugby’s saviour after being appointed in January as Wallabies coach for a second time, Jones, who also coached England, has been keen to remind his players that there is only so much he can do.

White said the team was “learning a lot” from the highly motivated Jones, but it was up to the players to get the job done on the field.

“He‘s a he’s a bloke that’s been around the tracks … but something he keeps saying is that he can’t do it ­– he can only pass on his knowledge and his experiences,” White said on Thursday from the Wallabies’ Gold Coast training camp.

“The guys that will really make the difference in Test matches will be the blokes that go out there and play.

“He’s very good. I wouldn’t change one thing. He’s a true character and a guy we’re all learning a lot from.

“Every day he’s coming in, and everything is about a winning mindset and getting better, and it’s infectious.

“We’re in a good place at the moment. He’s certainly leading from the top … but it’s going to come down to the blokes out on the field that are going to make the difference.”

White said it would be a “huge” first-up challenge under the guidance of Jones to win in Pretoria on Sunday week (AEST).

“For us … (it’s) a place that will be quite hostile,” he said.

“The crowd will certainly be sold out. It’s going to be a place that will be fun to play at and they will lift, but they’re the games that you want to play in, and you want to be a part of.”