Eddie Jones' 'bricks**thouse' bolter eager for first contact

Affectionately dubbed a “brick s**thouse” by Eddie Jones, new Wallabies squad member Blake Schoupp has pledged to keep working to improve after his surprise call-up to the national team.

Brumbies prop Schoupp is probably the biggest bolter in Jones’ 33-player squad for a training camp on the Gold Coast, having played just five Super Rugby Pacific games in his career – and only started two.

But he won’t be joined by ACT teammate Noah Lolesio, the 17-cap five-eighth controversially axed from the Wallaby set-up despite solid form at club level.

Melbourne’s Carter Gordon and NSW’s Ben Donaldson are the two five-eighths in the squad, with overseas-based Bernard Foley and Quade Cooper to link-up via Zoom, leaving national team regulars Lolesio and James O’Connor in the cold.

Jones said on Sunday he had spoken with a number of overlooked players, demanding they “bang on the door” to make their way into his World Cup plans.

“Players always tell you what you want to hear. It’s not what I hear, it’s what I see, the evidence is always performance,” he said.

Jones clearly likes what he has seen from 23-year-old Schoupp, revealing he was a fan of the hulking prop’s rise through the ranks “the hard way”, as well as what he described as the Brumbies player’s perfect build.

Schoupp spoke of his admiration for the Wallabies boss and admitted he had laughed at being labelled a “brick s**thouse”.

“It was pretty funny,” he said. “That’s just how he is, a typical Aussie bloke.

“There’s a bit of that aura about him just being who he is. I really respect that.

“Now it’s all about parking that and putting in the work and continually trying to get better.

“I haven’t actually spoken to him yet, so it’d be pretty cool to make that first contact, because he’s such a well-respected rugby figure.”

Schoupp is one of six uncapped players in the squad along with teammate Ryan Lonergan, NSW starlet Max Jorgensen, Melbour ne duo Brad Wilkin and Gordon, and Queensland centre Josh Flook.

Flook described himself as “definitely speechless” over his selection, despite his red-hot form with six tries in his last five matches to sit among Super Rugby’s most damaging players.

“On the phone to Mum and Dad and my sisters yesterday I really didn’t have any words,” he said.

“Last year ended a little bit disappointingly with my shoulder reconstruction, so it gave me a prolonged pre-season, made me get into really good shape… physically and mentally.”

Jones is also considering naming more than one World Cup captain, to cope with the potential impact of new concussion protocols.

James Slipper took over as skipper when Michael Hooper stepped away from the role for mental-health reasons last year, but Jones said he might need more than one man for the job due to the compulsory 12-day stand-down period.

“The way the game is at the moment we’re going to need a number of captains,” he said.

“I’m just working out what will best suit the team, firstly for the Rugby Championship and then as an entree into the World Cup.

“We’ll just work out who has the title of captain, and how many captains we have.”