‘Eddie Jones got found out’: Wallabies legend image is just brutal

Eddie Jones has been “exposed” with one move from the under-siege coach creating a brutal moment for a Wallabies legend.

Michael Hooper was diplomatic. Photo: StanSport.

Sonny Bill Williams has given Eddie Jones a bake after the under-siege Wallabies coach sensationally yanked his only fly-half off the field.

Jones’ tactics during Australia’s humiliating loss to Fiji at the Rugby World Cup on Monday morning, have been torn to shreds by rugby legends.

After Australia’s first loss to Fiji in 69 years, the Wallabies now face a do-or-die pool match against Wales — facing the prospect of becoming the first Australian side to ever fail to make it out of the group stage.

Jones said after the match he has “no regrets” about taking a squad packed with inexperience.

However, rugby legends have now taken aim at the veteran coach after several selection blunders that have come back to bite him.

The biggest one to blow up in Jones’ face has been the selection of rookie fly-half Carter Gordon, who was the only No. 10 picked in Jones’ World Cup squad with veteran Quade Cooper snubbed entirely.

With the Wallabies on the ropes early in the second half, Jones made the extraordinary call to drag Gordon off the field in the 49th minute, replacing him with utility Ben Donaldson.

The embarrassment would be a blow to Gordon’s confidence, according to code-hopper Williams, who was scathing in his assessment of Jones’ selection calls.

“Moving forward what are we going to do with Carter Gordon, and Donaldson? I would like to see Carter Gordon given another shot for the young man’s confidence,” Williams said on StanSport.

“He has been there or thereabouts for the last six or seven weeks and to be pulled out like that would be a tragedy.”

Sonny Bill Williams gave Eddie Jones a serve. Photo: StanSport.

He said it was a particularly tough situation for Gordon, who now needs to salvage his World Cup campaign without any experienced players like Cooper to help him out.

“My take on this whole ordeal of a game is, I feel for Carter Gordon right now,” Williams said.

“Because he doesn’t have a Quade Cooper or (Bernard) Foley to go back to the hotel and say, ‘Bro, these things happen, but you know you will be better’.

“It’s really tough seeing him get pulled like that. But these selections, I’m going to call it how it is, we are in a high performance arena. And sometimes you live and die by your decisions and Eddie Jones got found out tonight unfortunately.”

He also whacked Jones over the lack of experienced players in the side, highlighting the decision to axe Wallabies legend Michael Hooper, who watched the humiliation unfold from a TV studio.

Michael Hooper was diplomatic. Photo: StanSport.

“I think we got found out from a leadership point of view when (Will) Skelton went down,” Williams said.

“Hoops has been a gentleman back there (in the studio). We missed him tonight. Plain and simple.”

Despite the brutal curcumstances, Hooper was diplomatic when speaking about Jones’ controversial calls.

However, the former Wallabies captain did not understand Jones’ second half substitutions.

“I am a huge fan of getting your reserves on,” he said.

“Why would you leave them on the bench until under 10 minutes? Get them out on the field to rip into it.”

Imagine being this bloke. Put your whole life into that jersey and the leadership. And you have to watch that shit on the other side of the world pic.twitter.com/qbq69QEtqT

— Rugby Report Card (@rugby_podcast) September 17, 2023

It comes as veteran rugby commentator Nick McArdle said on Stan: “He (Jones) was exposed tonight and Australian rugby was exposed when his first and really only specialist No. 10 was dragged at the 49 minute mark.

“They put Ben Donaldson in. He has picked him as a utility and he can play ten, but he wasn’t even the ten for his provincial side, the Waratahs. They were in some trouble tonight, it has to be sheeted home to some of those selections.”

Former England scrum-half Matt Dawson says he can’t see Australia turning it around before the crucial Wales clash.

Carter Gordon of Australia makes a break. Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images.

Ben Donaldson of Australia looks dejected. Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images.

“It’s so hard to call in that pool, we agreed it would be difficult after Fiji turned England over at Twickenham. I will go with Wales, I was so underwhelmed with Australia, it had all the hallmarks of Eddie Jones’ boring ways,” he said on the BBC.

“It was a robotic Australian side panicking and having to score two tries late on. I think Wales have enough to take out Australia next week.”

Despite the doom and gloom of a first loss to Fiji since 1954, Jones is remaining resolute.

The coach, who was appointed for four years but has won just one of seven matches since assuming control, defended his decision to take a broom to the previous squad, failing to pick players including former captain Michael Hooper and going with a first choice No. 10 in Carter Gordon who is yet to play 10 Tests with no seasoned back-up.

He said Australian rugby needed to change, that was his plan, and he wouldn’t shy away from it despite the potential for an ugly early World Cup exit.

“I made the decision to go for a younger team and if that’s the wrong decision then I will be held accountable for that,” he said.

“But I think Australian rugby needs to move on to a younger team. I am prepared to go through some pain to leave Australia with a team capable of doing really well in a World Cup.

“That‘s not to say we can’t do it, we’ve had a bit of a setback today but that’s all part of being in a World Cup.

“I do remember South Africa lost a game and won a World Cup, so funny things have happened.”

Jones was visibly angry in his media appearances after the game and he was booed by some sections of the crowd when his face was shown on the big screen during the match.

Jones said he probably deserved the jeers he got from the crowd.

“After that I probably deserved more, mate,” he said.

“They should be throwing baguettes, croissants at me. I deserve whatever I get.”