Wallabies coach Eddie Jones has launched into an extraordinary tirade at Sydney airport, blasting the Australian rugby media for its “negativity” when questioned over the Rugby World Cup omissions of Michael Hooper and Quade Cooper and reports that neither player was telephoned to be told they had missed the squad.
The Wallabies’ preparations for the World Cup have been far from ideal, Australia losing all four of their Tests since Jones returned for his second stint as national coach. Then as they gathered at Sydney Airport for the flight north, news that assistant coach Brad Davis had quit to deal with “personal matters” further rocked the squad.
Davis’ departure comes just days after Hooper and Cooper were the headline absentees from Jones 33-man squad. Having originally named Hooper as one of his co-captains alongside James Slipper and having all but guaranteed Cooper a place on the plane to Paris, both players were then overlooked with Jones declaring Australia needed to look to the future and not be bogged down by past failures, one of the reasons why he also named “winner” Will Skelton to lead the team in France.
Reports have since emerged that Cooper has been unwilling to speak to Jones — the fly-half was not named in the Australia A squad that will face Portugal next weekend — and that Hooper had to ring up himself to learn whether or not he had been selected.
“Look we’ve moved on from that now, in reality we’ve selected the team that’s on the plane,” Jones said. “Michael wasn’t selected for the tour, obviously there’s still a question mark over his fitness and that’s taken into consideration.”
Pushed on whether Hooper had contacted Wallabies staff himself to learn his fate, Jones said: “Not to my knowledge.”
As for reports that Cooper had been unreachable, meanwhile, Jones admitted he had attempted to contact the veteran playmaker but had so far been given the cold shoulder. Jones had in only late May taken charge of a Barbarians team featuring Cooper that faced a World XV at Twickenham, speaking of his maturity and influence on a group that would be invaluable in France.
Cooper then started both of Australia’s opening two Rugby Championship Tests, before being demoted to the bench behind Melbourne Rebels playmaker Carter Gordon, who was the only “fly-half” included in the Wallabies’ World Cup squad.
“Well, I’ve tried to, mate, but we can’t get hold of him… if I ring them and they won’t ring back, what do you want me to do? What do you want me to do, tell me. Well, why keep asking about it?” Jones said of attempts to contact Cooper.
While the line of questioning then moved onto the Australia A squad and whether Bernard Foley could yet play a role in France, 63-year-old Jones then unloaded on the “negativity” in the local media.
“Yeah they [Australia A] could be [brought in], but guys we’ve moved on, that’s all been done and dusted, we’ve moved on,” Jones said. “If the players are unhappy about the selection process, so be it.
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“We’re moving onto a new young squad that’s going to take Australian rugby forward and you’ve got to understand that what we’ve had here over the last eight years hasn’t been good enough, hasn’t been good enough, and we want the opportunity for these young players to go forward.
“So I’m disappointed for the players obviously but all I can do is ring them, and if they don’t take your phone call you can’t talk to them… I can’t believe the level of negativity here, boys.
“I know what’s wrong with Australian rugby and you blokes [media] are a part of the problem because you’re so bloody negative about everything.
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“Okay, so we’re going off to a World Cup you think we can’t win; you think the selection process is bad because the players complained, so I apologise for that. So we’ll go out there and do our best, boys, so if you haven’t got anything positive to say, don’t ask please.”
When it was put Jones that the Matildas were a team that the Wallabies could turn to for inspiration, Jones agreed. But when he was asked about what his vast World Cup experience – he has been to two previous finals as a head coach and was an assistant when South Africa won their second Webb Ellis Cup in 2007 – could offer the Wallabies, he again circled back to unleash more verbal missiles at the media contingent.
“Well, it’s all about timing, mate, it’s all about timing your run,” Jones explained. “We don’t need to be at our best before a [crunch] game in the World Cup and the first [crunch] game is going to be against Georgia. So we need to be at a level where we can beat Georgia, and then we go onto the next game which is against Fiji, and then we go onto Wales and then we go onto Portugal, and then you’re in the quarterfinals.
“And once you’re in the quarterfinals you’ve got to be the best team on the day, and it’s all about the timing, the level of tactical influence you put into your team and you build that up as you go along.
“But I know you blokes think we can’t do any good. So don’t ask any questions boys, be the pessimists you are, keep Australian rugby where it’s been, keep it where it’s been, complain about players that don’t get selected, keep doing about that, because it’s fantastic, because we love it.”