Eddie Jones has broken his silence on the controversial decisions that defined his short-lived second tenure as Wallabies coach – a period marked by Australia’s worst-ever Rugby World Cup performance.
Jones, who returned in January 2023, resigned just 10 months into a five-year deal after the Wallabies failed to make it past the pool stages for the first time in history. Under his leadership, the team won only two of nine matches.
Speaking on the Rugby Unity podcast with friend David Pembroke, Jones defended his decision to leave out veteran players Michael Hooper and Quade Cooper from the World Cup squad.
‘Michael Hooper got injured in the first game against South Africa, hadn’t played, wasn’t fit,’ Jones said.
‘Quade … I made the decision his influence on the team wasn’t going to improve the team.’
He also left out Len Ikitau, citing injury concerns, and said that too many underprepared players would have risked team balance.
Former Wallabies coach Eddie Jones has defended the controversial decisions he made ahead of the Rugby World Cup
One of the big calls was the decision to leave out Michael Hooper who Jones said was injured and under-prepared
Veteran playmaker Quade Cooper was another big name to miss out on World Cup selection
‘You’ve got to make a decision on how many of those you can keep,’ he said.
Jones admitted he lost his temper at the infamous Sydney Airport press conference before the tournament.
‘The dog died. I had my wife crying on the phone … I just had such a small level of tolerance at that time,’ he said. ‘So I lost my cool, and you do sometimes.’
He has since argued that Australian rugby must overhaul its structure, labelling it a ‘welfare sport.’
Speaking to The Roar, he said, ‘They’re relying on an unnatural event to prop up what is a bankrupt sport. It needs to change, mate.’
Jones had been coaching with 2027 in mind, planning to build a young squad.
‘In the end, it was a mistake, because they weren’t able to adapt quickly enough, and that’s my fault,’ he admitted. ‘But strategically it was the right decision.’
He remained adamant that his younger selections were made with the long term in mind. ‘Sometimes you’ve got to take some losses to get some wins further down the track.’
Jones was forced to resign after his huge calls backfired in a big way at the Rugby World Cup
The distraught young Wallabies side react to the realisation they would not advance to the finals of the Rugby World Cup
While defending the dropped veterans, Jones did concede that Bernard Foley, who was left out, might have been wrongly excluded. ‘That might have been a mistake of mine … but this year he’s played really well.’
The former coach lamented the injuries to key players Will Skelton and Taniela Tupou, accepting some responsibility. ‘We were still trying to get fit at the start of the tournament … both of their injuries were my fault because we probably pushed them too hard.’
He praised Skelton’s leadership and influence over Tupou, describing him as ‘worth two players.’ He added, ‘Skelton’s a real captain.’
On Tupou, Jones insisted the prop has potential to be world-class. ‘It’d be a great loss for Australia. He can be freakish,’ he said.
Jones revealed his original contract included high-performance reforms that never materialised.
‘If we didn’t get the private equity … I probably wasn’t going to continue,’ he said.
‘I wasn’t interested in coming back just to fumble around with an unwieldy system.’
He also addressed the infamous Zoom call that fuelled rumours of a job interview with Japan.
Jones has hailed the recruitment of former NRL star Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii and said he would help change the Wallabies’ fortunes
‘I really didn’t have anything from Japan until post my resignation … that’s the story,’ he said.
When asked about Rugby Australia’s structure, Jones advocated for more centralised player development, especially at youth levels.
‘You’ve got to get better talent at that 13, 14, 15-year-old age group,’ he said.
He strongly defended the acquisition of Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, calling him ‘cheap’ and saying, ‘He’s going to help change that team.’
Reflecting on the state of Super Rugby, Jones said the Brumbies’ struggles were due to poor fan engagement and lack of control.
‘You’ve got to play unbelievable rugby and engage the community to win that race,’ he said.
He identified former Wallabies assistant Scott Wisemantel as ‘the best Australian rugby coach’ and called his departure ‘one of the greatest losses.’
Looking ahead, Jones remains optimistic. ‘I’ve got no doubt we can make the quarterfinals, at least, in 2027,’ he said.
Despite the fallout, he maintains hope for Australian rugby if it embraces reform. ‘I just hope they have the fortitude to go and do what Hamish [McLennan] started to do.’
