John O’Neill hails Eddie’s appointment as an ‘inspired choice’ in World Cup year

Former rugby boss John O’Neill says Eddie Jones’ appointment could be the circuit breaker the Wallabies need.

Eddie Jones talks with then ARU boss John O'Neill in 2003.

Former rugby boss John O’Neill has dubbed Eddie Jones’ appointment an “inspired choice,” just eight months out from the World Cup and the circuit breaker the Wallabies need.

O’Neill also said the Wallabies were “going nowhere” with Dave Rennie in charge but he believes Jones can lead the Wallabies to success at the World Cup in September.

“I think it is an inspired choice for the purposes of the World Cup this year,” O’Neill said.

“We needed a circuit breaker. We were going nowhere. At best treading water. The rankings don’t lie. If the best we could do was to talk about how much depth we were developing then that was a concern. The Rugby World Cup in September is a knockout competition, and you need specialist coaching skills and Eddie’s got those skills.”

O’Neill, who led Australian rugby during its golden era, added the five-year contract was “unusual”.

“Only the scoreboard will tell us if five years was too long,” O’Neill said.

O’Neill and Jones have gone head to head in the past – the former ARU boss described himself as a “constructive critic” of the coach. This week Jones admitted they had not always enjoyed a great relationship but considered him a “fantastic” CEO during his tenure in the early 2000s. Jones has said he admired O’Neill’s drive to make rugby the “No.1 winter sport in Australia”.

O’Neill says he has always had a great respect for Jones.

“When you are the CEO of the national governing body, you don’t have to be best mates, in fact it is better if you are not,” O’Neill said.

“I always respected his ability, his rugby nous, he’s the most industrious hard-working coach. And undoubtedly he is better in 2023 than he was in 2003. We all mellow. I am not what I was 20 years ago and I am 71.

“With all the coaches I have had the privilege of working with, Rod Macqueen, John Connolly, Eddie Jones, Robbie Deans, Guus Hiddink … you are the employer and they are the employee. We are not paid to be a cheer squad for the coach.”

O’Neill said the heat was on the players – more than the coach – going into this World Cup.

“A lot of the conversations with Eddie is; do we, the Wallabies, have the players? It’s one thing to change the jockey …. but if the horse is not up to it, you’ll soon find out.

“The team Eddie inherited in ‘01, was the best team in the world, they held every trophy.

“But this time the heat is not just on Eddie, it’s on the players.”

O’Neill described RA chair Hamish McLennan and CEO Andy Marinos’ decision to sack Rennie and immediately install Jones as a clever move.

He said Jones was clearly a big tournament specialist – an assistant coach for South Africa’s World Cup win, led the Wallabies to the final in 2003 and England in 2019. It’s this experience that makes the mood to pick Jones as smart move.

“Eddie is like a Guus Hiddink-type of coach,” O’Neill said.

“When I was running the FFA we had a good team being coached by Frank Farina, but we needed a point of difference.

“So we recruited Guus Hiddink, eight months out from the World Cup.

“He was renowned as a World Cup specialist. Every team he had worked with at the FIFA World Cup had done well.”

While Jones’ contract will run for five years and while he is also overseeing the Wallaroos and taking a keen interest in how the game is run top to bottom in Australia, O’Neill says his main focus should be the national men’s team.

“My personal view is that Eddie’s number one priority is the Wallabies,” O’Neill said.

“The whole health and wellbeing and feel-good factor is the Wallabies – it depends on the Wallabies winning.

“As much as he is one of the hardest-working coaches the world has ever seen, a lot of the things are put on his plate.

“But they’ll have to wait, we’ve only got four or five Tests before the World Cup.”