'AFL and NRL can't compete': Eddie Jones takes aim at rival codes

Wallabies coach Eddie Jones has taken aim to rival codes Australian Rules Football and rugby league in the first episode of his podcast, which was released on Friday.

Rugby Australia made the staggering decision last month to axe Dave Rennie eight months out from this year’s World Cup in France, and confirmed that Jones was his replacement.

The stunning decision dominated headlines around the rugby world for quite some time, as Jones looks to guide the Wallabies to World Cup glory later this year.

Jones, who coached the Wallabies to a World Cup final in 2003, is looking to make lasting change upon his return to Australian shores.

The 63-year-old has the potential to breathe new life into the sport Down Under, as the Wallabies look to inspire a resurgence for the passion of rugby union.

On the first episode of Eddie, Jones spoke about the global advantage that rugby union has over more traditional sports in Australia.

“AFL and NRL are highly successful domestic sports, but the opportunity there is for young kids to play rugby, be involved in the game, coach or play overseas is remarkable,” Jones said.

“The breadth and the richness of the experience you can have through rugby, AFL and NRL can’t compete with that. They can compete in terms of the domestic market very well, but certainly not in terms of the global market.

“To get kids to see that opportunity, the Wallabies have got to be successful because kids need role models, and those role models have got to come from the Australian side playing well.

“We are different, and maybe we’ve been a little bit detached from the community and that’s one of the things we’ve got to look at.”

But Australian rugby can only return to its former glory if the Wallabies become a winning team once again.

The Wallabies are coming off a tough international season last year, there’s no hiding from that.

Australia won five of their 14 matches in 2022, which included an incredible comeback win over Wales in Cardiff.

Clearly, something needs to change – enter Eddie Jones.

As Jones looks to lead the Wallabies’ charge at this year’s World Cup in France, he spoke about how he wants his team to play the “Australian way.”

“I’ve lived overseas for a long time now, since 2007, and the thing that always strikes me about Australian sport… we’re always at our best when we’re aggressive,” he added.

“By aggression I mean that we’re taking the game to the opposition. In rugby that can be carrying the ball or kicking the ball with purpose, defensively getting off the line.

“Australians want to see their national teams play like that, that’s what they enjoy watching, and I want to make sure we’ve got a clear intent of playing Australian rugby.

“Tactically there are variations of that, I’m not talking about a certain running the ball from everywhere, I’m talking about the intent of how we want to play.

“We’ve certainly got good players in Australia to do that.

“To have success, particularly in a smaller sport and we are a small sport, you’ve got to create movement, and the movement comes from the top with the national team.

“We’ve got to do our bit, we’ve got to play an Australian way, we’ve got to get people wanting to watch us play, we’ve gotta get kids excited about wanting to watch their heroes.

“There’s got to be the community doing their bit in driving rugby and everyone makes a difference, one person in the world makes a difference.

“If we’ve got everyone around who loves rugby, or has an affection for rugby, do their bit a bit more, the game will start to get moving again.”