‘Worst press conference ever’: Eddie Jones opens up on 2023 World Cup experience, future Wallaby snared by French rugby
Eddie Jones hasn’t held back on his tenure as Wallabies’ coach, decisions made and the ‘worst press conference ever’, while French rugby has snared a prodigious Aussie 17-year-old.
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EDDIE Jones has defended his axing of star players including Michael Hooper and Quade Cooper before the 2023 World Cup, saying the former captain was unfit.
On the Rugby Unity podcast with long-time friend and experienced media strategist David Pembroke, who did not shy away from asking the tough questions, Jones maintained he made the right call dropping the experienced duo, while also leaving out star centre Len Ikitau.
“Michael Hooper got injured in the first game against South Africa, hadn’t played, wasn’t fit,” Jones said.
“Went to the sevens after that, was for most of the time unfit, he wasn’t ready to play. So let’s put that to bed.
“Quade … I made the decision his influence on the team wasn’t going to improve the team. He’s still a handy player, he’s playing second division in Japan, his team’s got relegated, I don’t want to say any more.
“Tom Wright, yeah good player, maybe I got him wrong.
“ (Ikitau) was injured, he had a shoulder problem. We could have (brought him in late), but he would have come in underprepared, and we already had (Taniela) Tupou coming in underprepared, Angus Bell, we had a number of players who hadn’t played a lot of rugby so you’ve got to make a decision on how many of those you can keep.”
Jones also finally lifted the lid on his infamous pre-World Cup press conference at Sydney Airport which he described as “the worst press conference I’ve ever had in world rugby” before telling journalists to give themselves uppercuts, after being peppered with questions about Hooper and Cooper.
“I’d just flown halfway around the world to bring my wife and dog back to Japan, and they were then going to come to Australia, and the dog died,” Jones said.
“I had my wife crying to me on the phone, because the dog had replaced our daughter when she left, and I just had such a small level of tolerance at that time, and it quite irked me.
“So I lost my cool, and you do sometimes.”
Teen star bound for France still harbours Wallabies’ dream
ONE of the most sought-after teenage footballers in Australia is on his way to France, set to sign a deal with glamour club Toulouse, but Heinz Lemoto still has a dream of representing the Wallabies.
CODE Sports can reveal the 17-year-old cross-code star, who is in the Penrith Panthers system and has been offered a significant deal by Rugby Australia and NSW Waratahs, is headed to France this weekend.
Lemoto is expected to sign with Toulouse, one of the richest clubs in the world featuring French superstars Antoine Dupont and Romain Ntamack.
But sources close to Lemoto told us the move is not designed to make him eligible for the French national team, and he harbours a dream of playing for Australia.
It has been speculated that the French are poaching Lemoto to make him eligible for Les Bleus in three years time under World Rugby’s residency clause.
However, it’s understood Toulouse are signing him before he is capped in Australia so he is not on their books as a foreign player, as there are limits on how many they can name in their game-day squad.
Lemoto, a painfully shy teen who does not enjoy media attention, is keen to experience life in another country as he finishes school at Scots College.
But Lemoto and his family have been deeply appreciative of the efforts made by RA to keep him in Australia, and the longer term plan would be for him to return here.
NRL clubs including the Panthers will no doubt also be in play for him following his French stint.
Rugby Australia hopeful of no massive turnover in Wallabies’ staff
WHILE Wallabies scrum coach Mike Cron is set to leave after the British & Irish Lions series, RA is increasingly hopeful there will be minimal turnover of assistant coaches before the 2027 World Cup.
Incoming Wallabies coach Les Kiss said he would like to sort out his coaching staff over “the next three to six months”.
Cron’s contract expires at the end of the Lions series and while Joe Schmidt is now staying on until July 2026, it’s believed his Kiwi mate isn’t as keen to extend.
Another of Schmidt’s assistants, Laurie Fisher, was tipped to step down at the end of the year, but RA are continuing talks with him about staying on.
RA plans to keep assistant Geoff Parling and skills coach Eoin Toolan through to the 27 World Cup.
Kiss may have some preferences for assistants from Queensland Reds, but it appears there won’t be a mass turnover so as to keep consistency across the national team and the Super Rugby franchise.
Reported NRL raids not ruffling Waugh
REPORTS that the NRL will raid top Wallabies talent to fill the rosters of their new clubs in Papua New Guinea and Perth have not ruffled RA boss Phil Waugh.
With up to 60 extra players needed to fill the rosters of the PNG team and the Perth-based bears over the next three years, the NRL will target star Wallabies backs.
But Waugh is confident the global appeal of union will continue to sway local stars to stick with Australian rugby, even as most come off contract after the 2027 World Cup.
“We’re very conscious of the competitive landscape we’re in, at the same time, we’ve coexisted for over 100 years with the rugby league and we need to ensure that we’re providing an opportunity and a value proposition to our athletes that’s so compelling that they want to stay in rugby,” Waugh said.
“And that includes the financial elements, which is naturally getting more and more competitive.
“Even if you look at our international content, that’s pretty much locked in through to 2030.
“Now in terms of our Test match schedule, and when you think about our value proposition versus other codes in our country, the international component is a clear differentiator.
“So having that certainty around the direction of travel on leadership as well as the direction of travel on what Test matches we’ll be playing and where, if I take my CEO hat off and put my former Wallaby captain hat on, you look at those opportunities and you go, money’s important, but to see the world and to play in those environments in an international game is really, really compelling.”
Former World Rugby boss backs Cooper’s switch
FORMER World Rugby boss turned NFL executive Brett Gosper believes Quade Cooper will inspire many professional footballers to make the switch to flag football.
Cooper has signed to play the touch version of gridiron, which will make its debut at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, and will be touring the US in June with an Australian team in preparation.
The former Wallabies playmaker signalled he’d love to play with the likes of Reece Walsh and Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, and now with flag football lobbying Brisbane organisers for a place in the 2032 Games, Gosper says
“I think there will be people who put their hands up and say, ‘I’d love to, this is an opportunity to get involved in Olympic sport’,” Gosper told us.
“You find there are many passionate NFL and American football followers that come out of the woodwork when the opportunity presents itself.
“We’ve seen Quade throw a rugby ball like an American football a number of times on the field, there are a lot of clips of that. So maybe it’s not as surprising as we think that he’s turned up in it.
“But someone like Quade, with his profile, associating himself with the adventure of flag, we all know his quality as an athlete, but here he’s actually causing people to take a look at the sport.
“A lot of people will see that and go, what is flag? They’ll be drawn into it, they’ll be Googling it, they’ll be looking at some of the images on it.
“And as we plot, I’m sure Quade’s journey on this is going to be very helpful in that education process, bringing people in Australia towards a sport that they will get to know, but as yet haven’t really begun to.”
Beale considered retiring
KURTLEY Beale revealed he considered retiring as he struggled with an Achilles injury he suffered playing for Randwick in the Shute Shield last year.
But after an arduous rehabilitation, the 95-Test Wallaby makes his return to the field this weekend after being named to start at fullback for Western Force against the Blues at Eden Park on Friday night.
While it’s long odds, 36-year-old Beale will be hoping to make a late claim for the Wallabies squad against the Lions.
It would be quite the story, given Beale’s slip and missed conversion in the first Test of the 2013 series was such a headline moment in Wallabies history.
Queensland rugby makes heartfelt donation to Tongan rugby
WHEN the Queensland Reds toured Tonga last July after the Super Rugby season, they noticed Tonga’s female players had to wait for the men to finish training before they could start because of a lack of rugby balls.
Queensland Rugby Union, through their charitable foundation, this week donated 140 Ballymore branded balls to local Tongan clubs in a fantastic initiative to help the wider rugby family.
Lions tickets nearly sold out
WITH 40,000 tourists set to descend upon Australia for the Lions, tickets nearly sold out and corporate packages maxed out, there is a new offer giving fans a chance at premium experiences including attending captain’s run training.
IHG, the official hotel partners of the Lions tour, are allowing their members to bid rewards points to claim packages that include signed Wallabies and Lions jerseys, as well as being able to attend the final training session before each of the three Tests with a mate.
The details are on the IHG rewards website.
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