Eddie Jones is clearly feeling the pressure ahead of the World Cup in France. The Wallabies coach lost his cool on Thursday, as a scrum of journalists asked him some simple questions at Sydney Airport. Australia – who haven’t won a Test since Jones replaced Dave Rennie earlier this year – told reporters what he really felt.
The under pressure mentor sporting an Akubra hat declared it was the ‘worst press conference I’ve ever had.’ It comes as assistant Brad Davis quit suddenly quit the Wallabies coaching set up ahead of the tournament.
Davis was recruited by Jones from London Irish rugby club, where he had worked as a defence coach having worked at a suite of other big rugby clubs in England after playing 215 games in the UK Super League.
Rugby Australia confirmed Davis, a former rugby league player and long-time coach in the United Kingdom, would return to deal with a personal matter. Watch every Test match and World Cup game, ad-free, live and on demand on the Home of Rugby, Stan Sport.
His departure leaves the Wallabies scrambling for a new attack coach for the World Cup campaign which hasn’t begun well for Jones. The Wallabies lost all four games in the Rugby Championship, including back-to-back defeats by New Zealand as the All Blacks secured another Bledisloe Cup.
Jones also raised eyebrows after omitting veterans Quade Cooper and Michael Hooper from his final 33-man squad. Australia’s first World Cup game is against Georgia on September 10 at 2am AEST.
A World Cup warm-up match is scheduled against France this weekend, the last chance to get a victory before the tournament begins. Will Skelton is the new captain, with emerging halfback Tate McDermott to serve as Skelton’s deputy.
