International
Connection, Combinations and Captaincy: Eddie Jones speaks ahead of Wallabies return
Incoming Wallabies coach Eddie Jones is looking to galvanise Rugby supporters as he prepares to return to the role he held almost two decades ago.
Jones sat down with the media on Thursday for half an hour to discuss a variety of hot topics ahead of his return to Australia.
HSBC SYDNEY SEVENS TICKET FINAL RELEASE: GET YOUR TICKETS TO RUGBY’S BIGGEST PARTY NOW!
Connection and cohesion were key themes throughout the discussions as Jones prepares to start in the role at the end of the month.
Having got a first-hand taste of it last July, Jones was quick to stress the importance of building the relationship across all levels of the sport ahead of a crucial period for the game.
“That’s the challenge, firstly you’ve got to play good rugby and to everyone is different,” he explained.
“We’ve got to develop that Australian style of game that everyone buys into, which is a combination of quality set-piece, an aggressive attacking mindset, and wanting to get the ball quickly when we don’t have it.
“If we can play some good rugby, people will want to watch us play. And if we win, then we’ll be in a better position in the media, so this 15 people we’ve got now [on the Zoom call] will be 30 people…So the task is relatively simple, but the process is the difficult part.
“Everyone knows what we want to do, I’ve heard guys who I’ve coached, they tell me their sons don’t watch Rugby anymore. That happens when you’re not connected with your fans, and part of that is the winning process and part of that is how we conduct ourselves.
“There’s a clear message; we’ve got to try to become a team of the rugby community, and that’s hard in the professional era where you need to have good training camps, and you can’t spend the amount of time in the public as you used to.
“But we’re going to have to find a way to do that, it’s maybe a slight change in direction in how the team operates, having good training camps but also spending time at a school, at a local rugby club, doing some training in that environment so the young kids see their stars, and they have a conversation with a Tate McDermott or [Len] Ikitau, or Jed Holloway or James Slipper, and that conversation they have will make them want to play Rugby.”
Eddie delivered a typical Eddie press conference.
He gave fascinating insights on a number of pressing issues mixed in with cheeky anecdotes about media sparring partner Peter V’Landys being ‘in the TAB too long’ to appreciate Super Rugby and using his experience as a principal to help solve the discipline issue that plagued the Wallabies in 2022.
A key topic the former Reds and Brumbies boss will have to deal with is the overseas policy or ‘Giteau Law’
“In terms of the Giteau Law at the moment, it is what it is at the moment and that’s certainly something that I’ll discuss a little bit further down the track,” he believes.
“At the end of the day, we’d like to have our best players available and if some of those best players are playing overseas, we’d like to find a way for them to be available.”
One of the key selection battles this pertains to surrounds flyhalf, arguably the most important and still up-for-grabs position in the Wallabies set-up.
Jones stressed the importance of deciding his combinations early, laying greater importance on Super Rugby Pacific this season, starting with a battle between local contenders Noah Lolesio and a combination of Ben Donaldson and Take Edmed on February 24.
“I am looking for a ten who can play tough in that position, particularly in terms of decision making and be really smart about how he plays the game,” he said
“I was lucky enough to see those two young tens play live when Randwick played Eastwood post the tour, so [Tane] Edmed and [Ben] Donaldson. I have seen both of those guys play for Australia A and saw Donaldson saw in the November Test matches. So they’re both young guys who are coming through.
“You have the experience of [Bernard] Foley, I have just watched him play recently live, he still has a good command of the game, you have the young guy at the Brumbies, [Noah] Lolesio, who has played a number of Tests.
“There is good competition there but again it will be who comes through at Super Rugby that is going to have the first opportunity for Australia.
“Having said that, and it seems like a contradiction, we are also going to have to decide quite quickly who we think are the best nines and tens and 12s, particularly, to try and build up that cohesion.”
James O’Connor and Quade Cooper remain firmly on the radar, with Jones eager to see how they rebound from their respective injuries.
He will have limited time to get the Wallabies firing, with just five Tests before the opener against Georgia in September.
Jones also remained coy about who will lead the side into the future.
James Slipper and Allan Alaalatoa were amongst those who stepped up in Michael Hooper’s absence but with the inspirational flanker back and firing, the 62-year-old was eager to interview his potential candidates.
“That’s going to be really important,” he added.
“We need to find a captain who can galvanize the team. Whenever you change coaches or change the team environment, as what’s happened, the captaincy becomes even more important.
“We need someone who can quickly galvanise the troops (and) work closely with me because every captain and every coach combination is different. So the right captain for a particular coach is not necessarily the right captain for another coach.
“It’s a bit of appraisal. I have just got to walk the floor initially, find out about each of the players, meet with them face to face. I have started having some preliminary phone calls, talk to the players and then we will make hopefully an educated decision.”
Content & Images from – Australia Rugby
The Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) is delighted to announce the return of the ‘A’ Interprovincial Men’s Championship which will kick off next month.
The times and dates of the opening three rounds of the Championship before Christmas have been confirmed, with a similar points-scoring system as used in the URC. A Championship winner will be declared after the final round of matches in May and the IRFU will be commissioning a legacy trophy to mark the 150th anniversary celebrations.
Welcoming the news, IRFU Performance Director David Humphreys commented:
“We’re delighted to kick-start the Men’s ‘A’ Interprovincial Championship which will provide a host of players with a further means of developing in a meaningful competition. With the success of the Emerging Ireland Tours, coupled with the return of an ‘A’ international against England next year, it is vital that we continue to provide players at provincial and Club levels with opportunities to impress outside of the traditional URC and EPCR fixture windows.
“Discussions have been ongoing for some time to provide players with meaningful games and all four provinces are unanimously supportive of this competition. It is also great to see provinces taking matches around their local Clubs.
“It is anticipated that as the competition progresses over the coming seasons these fixtures won’t clash with Energia All-Ireland League fixtures for the most part, thus potentially also offering players from the Club game with an opportunity to impress.
“This competition will form another important part of the representative pathway from Energia AIL to URC levels for Academy players upwards over the coming seasons.”
The dates for the post-Christmas fixtures will be confirmed in due course. Ticket details will be confirmed via the respective provinces.
IRFU 150 Interprovincial ‘A’ Championship Fixtures:
Saturday, 16th November:
Connacht Eagles v Leinster ‘A’ (Creggs RFC, 1pm)
Friday, 22nd November:
Ulster ‘A’ v Connacht Eagles (Ballymacaran Park, 3pm), Leinster ‘A’ v Munster ‘A’ (Lakelands, 5pm)
Friday, 29th November:
Munster ‘A’ v Ulster ‘A’ (New Ormond Park, 3pm)
Friday, 20th December:
Ulster ‘A’ v Munster ‘A’ (tbc, 3pm)
Saturday, 21st December:
Leinster ‘A’ v Connacht Eagles (Ollie Campbell Park, 2pm)
Weekend of 28/29 December:
Connacht Eagles v Ulster ‘A’ (tbc), Munster ‘A’ v Leinster ‘A’ (tbc)
Weekend of 9/10 May:
Connacht Eagles v Munster ‘A’ (tbc), Leinster ‘A’ v Ulster ‘A’ (tbc)
Weekend of 16/17 May:
Munster ‘A’ v Connacht Eagles (tbc), Ulster ‘A’ v Leinster ‘A’ (tbc)
Images & Content from Irish Rugby & Images © Inpho Photography
The Emerging Ireland team to face the Cheetahs in the final game of the three-match series in Bloemfontein on Wednesday evening (kick off 6pm Irish time, 7pm local time) has been named.
Leinster’s James Culhane will lead the team and he forms a new back-row alongside Harry Sheridan and Sean Edogbo, who makes his first start of the tour having come on as a replacement in the 29-24 win over Western Force on Sunday afternoon. Former Ireland Under-20 captain Evan O’Connell locks down with Darragh Murray, who featured in the opening 36-24 victory over the Pumas, with Alex Usanov named in the front row alongside hooker Stephen Smyth and Jack Aungier.
Darragh Murray of Emerging Ireland scores his sides second try – Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/Steve Haag Sports/Darren Stewart
In the backline, Sam Prendergast starts his third game of the tour at out-half and he will be partnered by Cormac Foley, who featured as a second half replacements against the Australian Super Rugby side last time out. Connacht’s Hugh Gavin forms a midfield partnership with Hugh Cooney, with Ulster’s Zac Ward named in an exciting back tree alongside the returning Ben O’Connor at full-back and Andrew Osborne who moves to the right wing.
Munster loosehead prop George Hadden, who was called up to the squad last weekend, is set to make his first appearance after being named on the bench alongside Conor O’Tighearnaigh and Alex Soroka who started Sunday’s win. Hadden’s provincial team-mate Danny Sheahan provides cover once more at hooker, while Scott Wilson and Charlie Tector are also named on the bench for the Toyota Stadium clash alongside out-half Jack Murphy.
Looking ahead to the game, Emerging Ireland Head Coach Simon Easterby said: “When we set out at the beginning of our pre-camp in Dublin, we knew about the challenge of facing three sides in a week and we knew that every player in the group would have the opportunity to play his part. To a man each player has given his all so far and we are aiming to finish off the series with another positive performance on Wednesday.
The Cheetahs are a fiercely proud and strong side and it should be a lively game with a vocal home support behind them. It has been a fruitful past few weeks to date and we have learned a lot. While our performances haven’t been perfect, the players have embraced the challenge and played some brilliant rugby at times. The action has come thick and fast and we know that we have to be clinical in our execution. We will need to go up another level on Wednesday to get the performance we want and hopefully finish the tour on a high.”
Wednesday’s game will be broadcast once more on IrishRugby+ – click here.
Emerging Ireland (v The Cheetahs, Wednesday, October 9, 7pm local time, 6pm Irish time)
15: Ben O’Connor (UCC RFC/Munster)
14: Andrew Osborne (Naas RFC/Leinster)
13: Hugh Cooney (Clontarf FC/Leinster)
12: Hugh Gavin (Galwegians RFC/Connacht)
11: Zac Ward (Ballynahinch RFC/Ulster/Ireland Sevens)
10: Sam Prendergast (Lansdowne FC/Leinster)
9: Cormac Foley (Lansdowne FC/Leinster)
1: Alex Usanov (Clontarf FC/Leinster)
2: Stephen Smyth (Old Wesley RFC/Leinster)
3: Jack Aungier (Clontarf FC/Connacht)
4: Evan O’Connell (Young Munster RFC/Munster)
5: Darragh Murray (Buccaneers RFC/Connacht)
6: Harry Sheridan (Dublin University FC/Ulster)
7: Sean Edogbo (UCC RFC/Munster)
8: James Culhane (UCD RFC/Leinster) (captain)
Replacements:
16: Danny Sheahan (Cork Constitution FC/Munster)
17: George Hadden (Garryowen FC/Munster)
18: Scott Wilson (Queen’s University Belfast RFC/Ulster)
19: Conor O’Tighearnaigh (UCD RFC/Leinster)
20: Alex Soroka (Clontarf FC/Leinster)
21: Matthew Devine (Corinthians RFC/Connacht)
22: Jack Murphy (Clontarf FC/Ulster)
23: Charlie Tector (Lansdowne FC/Leinster)
Images & Content from Irish Rugby & Images © Inpho Photography
Following Emerging Ireland’s 29-24 victory over Western Force in Bloemfontein on Sunday three players, Gus McCarthy (Leinster), Sean O’Brien (Munster) and Jude Postlethwaite (Ulster) will return to their provinces.
The trio will leave South Africa on Monday afternoon and will be available for selection for their respective URC fixtures this weekend.
The squad will visit Heidedal Township this afternoon and will conclude the three-match series on Wednesday evening against The Cheetahs (kick off 7pm local, 6pm Irish time). That match will be live on irishrugby+
Watch the full match back here on irishrugby+
Check out the highlights from the win against Western Force below.
Images & Content from Irish Rugby & Images © Inpho Photography
Jordan signs for Bristol Bears
IRFU Announces Return Of ‘A’ Interprovincial Championship
