Bledisloe Cup: A front row seat for the Eddie Jones show

Wallabies coach Eddie Jones is known for having a way with words
Photo: www.photosport.nz

Opinion – It was worth the effort making it over to Melbourne early. The Wallabies’ team naming press conference was always going to be the highlight of the build up to this weekend’s Bledisloe Cup test at the MCG, and the star attraction didn’t disappoint.

Read more: Bledisloe Cup: Is an All Blacks win at the MCG a foregone conclusion?

Wallabies coach Eddie Jones came in with his answers pre-loaded no matter what the question was, even going so far as to insinuate that Prime Minister Chris Hipkins’ job was on the line if the Aussie team are victorious on Saturday night.

As the master of the soundbite and rugby’s greatest human headline generator, Jones was in fine form as he snapped quickly from praising the All Blacks to saying what we all had come to hear.

“There’s nothing better than winning against New Zealand because you feel the country sinking, right?” Jones remarked when asked a relatively unconnected question.

“It’s not just rugby that sinks, the country sinks. The whole economy goes down. The prime minister is there with his fingers crossed, hoping the All Blacks win, because he knows the economy is going to drop if they lose. So, we can have that effect.”

While it’s true that New Zealanders are pretty poor losers when it comes to rugby, Jones’ assessment is definitely rooted in the era that he actually played in.

The 63-year-old turned out against the All Blacks in an unusual fixture back in 1988, turning out in the famous green jersey of Sydney club Randwick in a match held in Bondi. It was the first and probably last time the All Blacks will ever play against an Australian club team, Randwick being stacked with Wallaby and New South Wales reps.

Things have definitely changed since then – Hipkins has far more pressing matters to deal with than the Bledisloe Cup – but Jones did quantify his statements with a clear respect for the rivalry between the two nations and All Black coach Ian Foster.

“I really felt for him,” Jones said when asked about Foster’s challenges over the past couple of seasons, which culminated in Scott Robertson being anointed his successor a year in advance.

“He had a board that reacted to media pressure, the appointment of a coaching job. He could go on and produce one of the greatest All Black teams, and then his fate’s already sealed.

“And I think that’s why we’ve seen a different approach from New Zealand this year … they’ve played … some of the best rugby we’ve seen for a while, and maybe that’s got to do with the coach appointment because I know the players value him greatly as a coach and we all know he’s a good rugby man. So they’re playing with a lot of passion, a lot of drive and a lot of direction, for us it’s the ultimate test.”

It’s interesting that Jones said that media pressure was what ultimately played the key role in the coaching situation, given that he famously accused New Zealand journalists of being fans with ‘fans with keyboards’ back in the lead up to the 2019 Rugby World Cup semi-final.

It was even more interesting that Jones had actually rehashed that line only moments before making that claim, saying: “I can see the way you’re sitting here and thinking what’s this bloke talking about? How can this Australian team do it? The All Blacks have been fantastic for the first two games and you have been, mate. But you’re still fans with keyboards, right? Nothing’s changed.”

Beneath the bluster, though, it is obvious that Jones cares deeply about the game in Australia and desperately wants his Wallaby side to be the figurehead of a resurgence in interest as Australia gears up to host the 2027 World Cup. He talked about kids taking up the game, of how proud he was of the big crowd expected at the MCG, and of his belief in the playing group he’d assembled.

That’s the stuff that is buried a little further down the page than predictions of an economic downturn and lobbing insults. Which is why it’s hard not to at least respect Jones for understanding that he needs to be a promoter as well as a coach, something that his All Black opposites have never grasped at all.