A Frenchman, an AFL guru and some leaguies walk into a box: Meet Eddie’s eclectic first XI

A French maul consultant, two rugby league ex-pats, a “learning co-ordinator” from AFL and an English forwards coach.

It sounds like a group lost in the wings of at a coaching convention but these are some of the eclectic, United Nations crew who will make up the Wallabies coaching staff under new coach Eddie Jones.

After four months of searching, Jones confirmed his assistants on Thursday morning by naming another Australian ex-rugby league player and coach, Brad Davis, as the Wallabies’ attack coach.

Jones’ staff is bigger and more complex than the group Dave Rennie employed, and is not as orthodox either, with non-traditional titles and backgrounds.

Davis is an Australian former rugby league half who spent his entire career in the UK Super League, playing 215 games for clubs including Castleford, Huddersfield and Wakefield between 1992 and 2006. He moved across to rugby coaching and spent a decade at Bath as a defence and skills coach, and has since coached at Ospreys and London Irish.

London Irish have released Davis on secondment to Jones’ Wallabies for The Rugby Championship and Rugby World Cup but unusually, given his career has predominantly focused on defence, the 56-year-old will serve as Australia’s attack coach.

It is not uncommon for coaches to change responsibilities - the All Blacks rotate their assistants’ duties, for example - and it is likely Scott Wisemantel, who is not listed but is acting as an external consultant, will have plenty to do with the Wallabies’ attacking strategies. Jones, too, is a hands-on coach.

Much of Jones’ staff has been previously confirmed or mentioned in dispatches, with Brett Hodgson (defence), Berrick Barnes (kicking) and David Rath (learning co-ordinator) already on the ground with Jones.

But the importance of forwards to the Wallabies’ plans under Jones is made clear in his staff, too.

Brad Davis coaching for London Irish.Credit: Getty

Ex-England forward coach Neal Hatley will assume the role of “forwards co-ordinator”, and presumably take the job of scrums coach. The highly-regarded former Wallabies prop Dan Palmer is now officially employed, but despite being the Brumbies’ scrum coach, Palmer will serve as lineout coach for the Wallabies.

Lineout coaching is one of the most strategic areas of rugby and requires extensive analysis and planning, and Palmer’s studious approach to coaching has no doubt convinced Jones he is capable of handling the job.

The 34-year-old has previously toured with the Wallabies as an interim scrum coach.

Hatley is still at Bath and won’t join the Wallabies until the end of their season in June, just weeks before the Wallabies’ first TRC game against South Africa in Pretoria.

Pierre-Henry Broncan coaching for Castres.Credit: Getty

One of the most intriguing appointments is the recruitment of Frenchman Pierre-Henry Broncan as a “maul consultant”. The rolling maul is now so ubiquitous in world rugby — it can account for one in four tries for some leading teams — Jones has brought Broncan to focus on the dark art.

Broncan is a highly accomplished coach who took Castres to the final of the Top 14 in 2022 but was sacked by the club earlier this year after they fell badly out of form.

Other staff positions confirmed by the Wallabies are Jon Clarke and Nigel Ashley-Jones as strength and conditioning coaches, John Pryor as a “speed consultant” and Warrick Harrington retaining his sports science role.

In a statement, Jones said: “We believe we have a quality coaching staff to plan and prepare the team for a ‘Smash and Grab’ campaign, winning the Bledisloe Cup and finishing winning the Rugby World Cup. It is experienced, diverse and adaptable.”

In other news, Australian referees Nic Berry and Angus Gardner have been appointed as two of the 12 referees for the Rugby World Cup. Both officials also refereed at the 2019 tournament.

Ireland’s Joy Neville made history when she became the first woman named to officiate at a World Cup.

Neville, who was the referee for the Women’s World Cup final in 2017, will be one of the television match officials.

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