Rugby boss Phil Waugh hits back at Eddie Jones’ ‘completely unfair’ swipe

Rugby Australia CEO Phil Waugh has hit back at one of Eddie Jones’ drive-by swipes after he walked away from the Wallabies’ top job.

Phil Waugh has hit back. Photo: Getty Images

Rugby Australia CEO Phil Waugh has opened up on the “bitterly disappointing” reign for Eddie Jones and hit back at the ex-coach’s swipe at Michael Hooper, Quade Cooper and Bernard Foley.

Coming after the news that Jones was walking away from the role 10 months into a five-year deal after the Wallabies crashed to their worst ever World Cup result, ex-Wallabies legend Waugh faced the music.

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The Wallabies are ranked ninth in the world, but had been at its lowest ebb of 10th in the world during a Jones’ horror tenure that saw Australia win just two of the nine Tests played.

Those came against Georgia and Portugal at the World Cup.

Once a powerhouse of rugby, Australia couldn’t even make the knockout stages of the World Cup, while its Rugby Championship rivals Argentina made the semi-finals, while South Africa beat New Zealand in the final.

Jones said he took a gamble on youth for the 2023 World Cup and often bit back at questions about leaving out the likes of Hooper, Cooper and Foley.

Speaking the Sydney Morning Herald’s Peter FitzSimons last week, Jones said: “I don’t think they were the right role models for the team going forward.

“Don’t get me wrong — they’re not bad guys. But you need guys — particularly when you’ve got a team like Australia has at the moment — you need guys who are obsessed with winning, obsessed with being good, and those three are past those stages.”

FitzSimons said it was particularly harsh of Hooper, but Jones responded: “I stand by it, 100 per cent. He is a great guy but the timing is not right for him.”

Mission accomplished? Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images

Michael Hooper has been the heart and soul of the Wallabies for years. Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images

Waugh hit back at Jones’ comments.

“I think it’s a completely unfair comment,” Waugh told reporters.

“Across Michael Hooper, Quade Cooper, Bernard Foley, I think there’s 280-300 Test matches between those three. They’ve all put their body on the line over a long period of time and are role models to not just their peers but young boys and girls coming through the system.

“So I think it is an absolutely unfair comment towards those players, given what they’ve contributed to rugby.”

When Jones was tapped to return to the Wallabies, the side he coached to the World Cup final in 2003, he was seen as the saviour of Australian rugby, despite having been sacked by England after the nation’s worst season in more than a decade.

When questioned about the five-year deal handed to Jones, Waugh said: “It’s a decision we have to live with.”

Phil Waugh faced the music. Photo by Matt King/Getty Images

As for who’s next, former assistant coach Dan McKellar and Stephen Larkham have been mentioned as possibilities, as has former All Blacks boss Ian Foster, with a panel to be established to find the best candidate to rebuild from the rubble Jones has left behind.

“It’s all very raw so we want to make sure that we get the right panel together,” Waugh said.

“Once we get that panel together then we’ll run a process.

“Our next Test is not until July next year so we have time. The most important aspect now is reconnecting with the Australian public and the community and then making sure we land on the right coach.

“The most important aspect is getting the right coach, so (we’ll take) however long that takes.

“Historically, we’ve made decisions quickly, and the most important aspect is to make the right decision.”

Jones had only recently said that he was committed to Australian rugby despite overseeing their World Cup flop, denying rumours that he was about to jump ship to take over at Japan.

Although he is officially on with the Wallabies until November 25, he is currently in Europe coaching the Barbarians team who will play Wales on November 4 before going on a holiday to Japan.

With Martin Gabor, NCA Newswire