Australia v Wales result: Timeline of Australian rugby and Eddie Jones’ demise

Wallabies head coach Eddie Jones speaks to media at Sydney International Airport on August 17. Photo / Getty Images

The Wallabies are slumping to their worst Rugby World Cup outing in history – on the verge of exiting at the pool play stage for the first time after their 40-6 trouncing at the hands of Wales. Where did it all go wrong for a nation that has never before missed the quarter-finals? Below is a timeline of the events that led Australian rugby to this grim state.

Dave Rennie sacked and replaced by Eddie Jones - Jan 16, 2023

Dave Rennie was sensationally sacked as Wallabies head coach less than nine months out from the World Cup, and former England boss Eddie Jones took over.

Rennie finished with a winning record of 38 per cent, the lowest of any coach in Wallabies history with a minimum of 30 tests. The Wallabies had a difficult 2022, which only yielded five wins from 14 tests.

Assistant coach Scott Wisemantel resigned from his post earlier in January, just two weeks before Rennie was sacked.

Eddie Jones had been sacked as England coach a month before and returned to lead the Wallabies 18 years after his first spell in the role, from 2001-2005.

Jones fires shot at NZ Rugby over All Blacks coach appointment process

When Scott Robertson was named as Ian Foster’s successor as All Blacks coach, Eddie Jones deemed it “another distraction” from their World Cup preparations and felt Foster had been treated poorly.

Jones congratulated Robertson on the honour, but believed the process had been bungled by New Zealand Rugby.

“I think it’s really poor how New Zealand Rugby have done it. Ian Foster is here now – he’s a good man and he’s given a lot to New Zealand Rugby as assistant coach and head coach.

“The timing is inappropriate – leading into a World Cup, naming their head coach beforehand just causes another distraction they don’t need.”

Shock 43-12 loss to South Africa in Jones’ return test - July 9, 2023

The Wallabies were comprehensively beaten at Loftus Versfeld in the Rugby Championship opener, conceding six tries and scoring just one themselves. The Wallabies had actually started well, but conceded 43 unanswered points after crossing the chalk first.

To make matters worse, the Springboks had rested a dozen of their best players as Australia’s World Cup stocks already began to fall. Jones was then involved in a “heated altercation” with a South African journalist – who he called a “smart arse”, telling the journalist to “have some respect”.

Last-minute Pumas’ try sinks Wallabies - July 15, 2023

Jones made five changes to the Wallabies’ side that was hammered at Loftus. After leading 31-27 with five minutes remaining, Australia conceded a last-minute try Argentina to lose 34-31 and drop successive tests to Los Pumas for the first time. Ironically, these were both devised by former Wallabies coach Michael Cheika.

Jones said after this one he was “100 per cent certain” the Wallabies could win the World Cup.

All Blacks blow-out scoreline but positives to take? July 29, 2023

Ahead of the test, Jones speculated that the New Zealand economy would collapse should the All Blacks lose. Thankfully for Kiwis battling a cost-of-living crisis, the Wallabies lost 38-7 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground to yield the Bledisloe Cup for a 21st year in a row.

Despite the scoreline, the Wallabies had started well – but discipline got in the way and two yellow cards led to the All Blacks scoring four tries while the Wallabies were playing with 14 men. The Wallabies could actually have taken some positives out of this one (if you remove the scoreline from analysis) as they were well in the contest for the first 50 minutes.

A sign of better things to come?

Mo’unga boots Wallabies out of Dunedin - August 5, 2023

Another last-minute defeat for the Wallabies and Jones.

Australia led 17-3 at halftime and looked destined to put their shocking season firmly behind them with a win over the All Blacks on the eve of the Rugby World Cup. Ian Foster decided he wasn’t going to allow that, injecting Richie Mo’unga and Aaron Smith into the fray, and the tide turned.

An 80th-minute penalty from Mo’unga made it 20-17 and sent the Wallabies back across the Tasman with a winless Rugby Championship and Bledisloe Cup campaign.

Experienced players dropped in shock World Cup squad naming - 11 August, 2023

Jones’ squad selection – from picking one rookie first five-eighths to axing veteran figures, rotating the team’s captaincy and compiling one of the least experienced World Cup teams was widely criticised. Co-captain Michael Hooper and Quade Cooper were left out of the side entirely, with little explanation.

“It’s a really difficult decision,” Jones told reporters after announcing his 33-man squad.

“We’ve gone down the line of we think young players are the players that can take Australian Rugby forward.”

Attack coach walks out as Wallabies prepare to leave for France - 17 August, 2023

The Wallabies had a spanner thrown into the works ahead of their Rugby World Cup campaign, with a key member of the staff stepping away. News broke that the highly respected Brad Davis “wasn’t enjoying the coaching environment under Jones” and had decided not to travel with the team, the evening before they flew out.

Subsequently, Jones launched a tirade upon Australian journalists at the airport before the team’s departure in which he reportedly called it “the worst press conference I’ve ever had in world rugby”.

Australia crushed by France in final pre-World Cup hit-out - 28 August, 2023

The Australian rugby public would have been desperate for a win under Eddie Jones before the World Cup, they had lost all four tests to this point and the prospect of beating hosts France in their final match before the tournament would have restored an awful lot of faith. Australia, however, slumped even further into the red with a 41-17 loss as pre-departure concerns about the make-up of their squad bubbled back to the surface once more.

Ever the media tactician, Jones told reporters after the match that: “Sometimes in games like this – the scoreboard is always important, don’t get me wrong – but we’ve got a greater aim than this game.”

Jones is often criticised for not speaking frankly about results – denying that a loss is damaging for momentum or tournament prospects. It’s not difficult to imagine Australian rugby fans becoming exasperated by this point at their Wallabies’ continued poor results and feeling despondent about their World Cup hopes.

Flying Fijians claim first win over Australia in 69 years

After getting past Georgia in their Rugby World Cup opener with what was in comparison with previous tests under Jones a more complete performance, Wallabies fans had reason for optimism at this World Cup. That optimism would be short-lived as in their next fixture as they were outclassed 22-15 by Fiji in their second. The Flying Fijians put away the razzle-dazzle and won in a very un-Fijian traditional way: breakdown domination, brick-wall defence and relentless commitment for 80 minutes.

“They outplayed us at the ruck,” coach Jones said. “For some reason we were just off today. We were a poor version of ourselves. There is some soul-searching to do and it makes the Wales game pretty important.”

Jones responds to criticism from Sonny Bill Williams

It was the World Cup match-up few predicted: Eddie Jones v Sonny Bill Williams. Following the loss to Fiji, Williams had plenty to say about Jones and the selectors.

“My take on this whole ordeal of a game is: I feel for Carter Gordon right now,” Williams said.

“Because he doesn’t have a Quade Cooper or [Bernard] Foley to go back to the hotel and say, ‘Bro, these things happen but you know you will be better’. It’s really tough seeing him get pulled like that,” Williams added.

In response, Jones, who has previously coached two teams to World Cup finals, defended his selections and decision to take a young and inexperienced squad to France.

“When you are a television commentator, you are always right,” Jones said.

Hammered off the park by the Welsh to teeter on edge of worst-ever World Cup showing

The Wallabies were all but knocked out of the Rugby World Cup this morning following a 40-6 defeat to Wales – which looks set to be the first time they’ll fail to make the quarter-final stage at the tournament.

Conceding a try after just three minutes of play, the shell-shocked Australians were never in the contest – providing the Welsh and Kiwi-born Gareth Anscombe with kickable penalties that strangled the life out of them.

Eddie Jones’ side were completely outclassed to be handed their biggest loss at a World Cup. Their second defeat of the tournament, following a shock loss to Fiji, leaves them on one win from three games.

Williams labelled the Wallabies performance “embarrassing”; there could be another round in his bout with Jones.

Jones continued to say he is the person best to carry the Wallabies forward.

“I remain committed to the Australia project,” Jones said. “I still believe I am the person to turn things around.

“At the moment I am not giving much help, am I? But that doesn’t mean my commitment to helping has changed.

Despite his optimism, Jones’ record with the Wallabies in his second stint stands at one win from eight tests – a 12.5 per cent win-rate. Dave Rennie’s win-rate was more than double that when he was sent packing from the Wallabies job.

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