We don’t want league players says Jones

The Wallabies have given up chasing rugby league converts even though modern rugby was heading closer toward the 13-man game.

Australian coach Eddie Jones admitted the emergence of rugby league style defensive patterns had changed the face of rugby and new attacking plans needed to be devised.

But Jones said Australian rugby would "definitely not" be chasing any more league players, despite his pin-up recruit Lote Tuqiri urging him to target Kangaroos Willie Mason and Andrew Ryan.

Jones believed the obsession of trying to raid league was over-rated and the solution was simply to improve the skills of the players already in rugby.

"Definitely not, definitely not," he replied when asked whether more league players would be targeted.

"Because there's not the players out there that can do it.

"Our players are developing the skills, we've made big progress on this tour and we just need to develop our players' skill sets.

"I think the value of rugby league players has been over-rated in Australia.

"In nine years of professional rugby I think we've recruited, in top line, something like five players.

"The guys we've recruited have done exceptionally well, but the secret to our success in the future is not recruiting more league players, it's our players becoming better skilled."

Of those recruits, Tuqiri has been a huge success in switching codes and is rivalling New Zealand's Joe Rokocoko for the mantle as the best winger in world rugby.

Mat Rogers has been a moderate success at fullback or wing, while Wendell Sailor's transition has been questionable after a huge fuss was made of his conversion from league in 2001.

Andrew Walker performed well on-field in his seven Tests in 2000 and 2001 but off-field problems ended his rugby career and he returned to league.

Tuqiri, Rogers and Sailor were among five ex-league internationals in Saturday's Twickenham Test against England, which included Jason Robinson and Henry Paul.

But the chase in Australia is not completely over, with the NSWRU pulling out all stops this year in its failed bid to sign former Australian league captain Andrew Johns.

It is still pursuing Bulldogs five eighth Braith Anasta.

Jones admitted today's rugby players don't have the skills to counter the defensive systems, but need to work hard if tries are going to beat tackles.

"What's happened in rugby, and this is going to cause a problem with all the traditionalists, we've got rugby league style defences and to play the traditional way we used to play rugby which is to go to the outside is very difficult now," Jones said.

"You've got to play more at the line and through the line to beat these defences.

"In terms of attack, it's quite an extreme change for rugby. And our players don't have the skills to do it consistently and that's what we've been working really hard on and I think that's across the board in the world.

"At the moment, we're still seeing defences immeasurably better than attack and until we create a different set of skills to beat the defences we've got, we won't see attack triumph over defence."

- AAP