Eddie Jones faces World Cup injury crisis amid Wallabies' MCG walloping

The Wallabies’ Bledisloe loss to the All Blacks in Melbourne turned into a nightmare as Eddie Jones’ side now face a potential injury crisis at tighthead just weeks out from the Rugby World Cup.

The All Blacks recorded a resounding 38-7 victory over a troubled Australian side in front of over 84,000 people at the MCG, handing Jones his third loss in a row as new head coach of the national team.

The match took a sour turn in for the home side in the first half when Wallabies captain, Allan Ala’alatoa, was carted off the field with what looked like a significant knee injury.

As the second half commenced, the Wallabies’ hopes of a comeback were dealt a further blow. Taniela Tupou, who had stepped in as Ala’alatoa’s replacement, collapsed in pain with an unspecified injury. He carried on gamely for several minutes, even though it was clear that he was struggling badly, the camera capturing the burly prop wincing in pain.

Jones appeared to kept the tighthead on despite it be clear that he was in not fit to continue, possibly fearing that Wallabies would be forced to play with 14 men if they couldn’t come up with a solution for the right-hand side of the scrum.

To add to their misery, the replacement prop was given a yellow card for a no-wrap challenge right after leaving the field. Referee Wayne Barnes then sent the incident to the TMO Bunker for review. The timing of the card left the Wallabies in disbelief, as Tupou had just been subbed off for Angus Bell, who had originally started the game at loosehead.

Bell was then forced to sit in the sin-bin in lieu of Tupou, for a dangerous tackle he had no part in.

As the match continued, the Wallabies’ resistance began to crumble, with the All Blacks piling on the tries against 14-men, scoring two tries in quick succession with Bell in the bin.

With both Alaalatoa and Tupou potentially facing long stints on the sideline, the winless Jones is left with a major problem at tighthead. Both his first and second choice No.3s could now be unavailable, leaving a gaping hole in the team’s front row with the Rugby World Cup just around the corner.