‘You just don’t know’: Jones’ return leaves Wallabies stars in dark about World Cup spots

Senior Wallabies prop and Brumbies captain Allan Alaalatoa said players were stunned by news of Dave Rennie’s sacking last week, but the return of Eddie Jones as Wallabies coach would serve to lift the performances of Australian teams in Super Rugby as players scramble to impress the new coach and earn selection for the Rugby World Cup.

Ahead of an announcement he has re-signed with Rugby Australia and the Brumbies through to 2027, Alaalatoa became the first player to speak about the tumultuous events of last week, when Rennie’s three-year tenure ended and Jones was hired on a five-year deal.

Like most others, Alaalatoa first heard the news last Monday and his first emotion was sympathy for Rennie.

“I was quite shocked. I wasn’t expecting it and my first reaction was wondering how Dave was,” Alaalatoa told the Herald.

“I sent him a message and told him that the boys respected him, for the man he was off the field and the world-class coach that he was on the field. I thought it was important for him to know the boys I was around down here were just disappointed for him that he couldn’t finish out what he started. But he left knowing he had a lot of respect from the group and from his coaching staff.”

Allan Ala’alatoa in action for the Wallabies.Credit: Getty

Rennie finished with a record-low 38 per cent win rate as Wallabies coach but Alaalatoa said the squad felt like they’d made big strides in three years under Rennie, and the gritty performances of 2022 - as they suffered through an injury crisis - pointed to a strong year in 2023.

“If anything at the end of last year I was just excited to get stuck into this year,” Alaalatoa said.

“In terms of the Spring Tour, the results didn’t go our way but we lost three of those games by a few points, and with an injury-hit list. We were building some great depth and we knew if we had everyone on board this year the competition will be good for everyone, and we will see a lift in Super Rugby Pacific with the amount of experience that those young lads got over on the Spring Tour.”

That will still happen, of course, but the 65-cap Wallabies vice-captain said the lift in Australian teams in Super Rugby will now be boosted further by a new motivating factor: Jones.

Allan Alaalatoa said the decision to stay in Canberra until 2027 was a “no-brainer”.Credit: Getty

Given the only active Australian player who has been coached by Jones is Quade Cooper, at the Reds in 2007, the vast majority of Wallabies players are back at square one, without a firm understanding where they stand as far as selection for the Rugby World Cup in September.

“That’s the vibe you get straight away, you just don’t know now, especially with a lot of the boys here now, who haven’t been coached by him before,” Alaalatoa said.

“But what we have spoken about already is we can only control what we can control. If you want to be part of those discussions with Eddie you have to train well and perform well in your state union. So again, you will see a lift in the Super Rugby competition, and that’s awesome. That’s what you want.”

Alaalatoa said the emotional flipside to Rennie’s exit was excitement about Jones’ entry, particulary given his reputation as a World Cup guru. Jones took Australia (2003) and England (2019) to World Cup finals, helped South Africa win in 2007 and masterminded Japan’s win over the Boks in 2015.

Out with the old ... Dave Rennie and Eddie Jones.Credit: Getty

“The stats don’t lie, he knows how to win and at the end of the day that’s what we want to do as players, and as a country,” Alaalatoa said.

“I haven’t been coached by Eddie but from a few of the past players I have got the gist of the way he coaches, and from the vibe I am getting what you do know with Eddie is you are going to get better. As a player, if you don’t want to get better, you’re in the wrong job.

“And an Australian coming back to his home country, it’ll be great for the game as well. There have been a lot of discussions around building the game up, from grassroots into Super Rugby and getting that positive vibe again about rugby. And that comes from winning. What we do know is that Eddie knows how to win.“

Alaalatoa is the first Australian player to sign through to the Rugby World Cup in 2027. He said the decision to accept an offer to stay in Canberra with his young family for four more years was a “no-brainer”.

“I look at the Brums and the organisation there, its family. There is a real sense of belonging,” he said.”

“Looking ahead to the Lions series in 2025 and 2027 with the home World Cup, as a kid growing up in Australia, those are the events you want to be a part of. Hopefully I will get that opportunity. It’s a bright future looking ahead.”