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Ex-Wallabies coach Jones' brutal attack on current team and names his new 4-person coaching panel
By Chris Jones
Grand Slam coach Alan Jones has branded the current Wallabies “unwatchable” and the worst team to wear the national colours for 60 years and believes raiding Scotland’s coaching set up is the only answer.
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Jones used his column in the Australian paper to set out his vision for the future of the Wallabies who face Italy in Padua tomorrow having lost 9-6 to Wales and will complete their European tour against England at Twickenham on November 24. While Jones sees current coach Michael Cheika remaining in charge until next year’s World Cup, he wants the next group of coaches ready to take over and that would be headed by Scott Johnson, the current Scotland director of rugby.
Johnson would, according to Jones,need to be joined by “Defence coach — Matthew Taylor, currently with Scotland; Attack coach — John Mulvihill, currently head coach at Cardiff; Forwards coach — Andrew Blades, currently a very successful schoolboys coach in Sydney.”
Jones is unimpressed by the control being imposed on Rugby Australia by current chief executive Raelene Castle claiming she “knows little about the game.”
The man who led the 1984 Wallabies to a Slam triumph compares the current campaign to 1958’s results when the national team only won two games, lost eight and drew one.“ This is our worst season of Test rugby since 1958,” wrote Jones, who coached the Wallabies to 13 wins, five losses and one draw during his time in charge. “We have suffered home soil losses to Ireland for the first time since 1979 and to Argentina for the first time since 1983.
“The attack, under assistant coach Stephen Larkham, has produced the worst results per game since 1983.The game last weekend was almost unwatchable. I offer the following (all Australians, unlike the bulk of our Super Rugby coaches, who are both new at that level and non-Australian):
“Head coach — Scott Johnson, the director of Scottish Rugby; Defence coach — Matthew Taylor, currently with Scotland; Attack coach — John Mulvihill, currently head coach at Cardiff; Forwards coach — Andrew Blades, currently a very successful schoolboys coach in Sydney.You don’t need any more.
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“Fresh blood, fresh approach, fresh ideas. Remember, we are not short of talent. We are short of successful ways of using the ball in the hands of that talent.” and believes raiding Scotland’s coaching set up is the only answer.
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Jones used his column in the Australian paper to set out his vision for the future of the Wallabies who face Italy in Padua tomorrow having lost 9-6 to Wales and will complete their European tour against England at Twickenham on November 24. While Jones sees current coach Michael Cheika remaining in charge until next year’s World Cup, he wants the next group of coaches ready to take over and that would be headed by Scott Johnson, the current Scotland director of rugby.
Johnson would, according to Jones,need to be joined by “Defence coach — Matthew Taylor, currently with Scotland; Attack coach — John Mulvihill, currently head coach at Cardiff; Forwards coach — Andrew Blades, currently a very successful schoolboys coach in Sydney.”
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Jones is unimpressed by the control being imposed on Rugby Australia by current chief executive Raelene Castle claiming she “knows little about the game.”
The man who led the 1984 Wallabies to a Slam triumph compares the current campaign to 1958’s results when the national team only won two games, lost eight and drew one.“ This is our worst season of Test rugby since 1958,” wrote Jones, who coached the Wallabies to 13 wins, five losses and one draw during his time in charge. “We have suffered home soil losses to Ireland for the first time since 1979 and to Argentina for the first time since 1983.
“The attack, under assistant coach Stephen Larkham, has produced the worst results per game since 1983.The game last weekend was almost unwatchable. I offer the following (all Australians, unlike the bulk of our Super Rugby coaches, who are both new at that level and non-Australian):
“Head coach — Scott Johnson, the director of Scottish Rugby; Defence coach — Matthew Taylor, currently with Scotland; Attack coach — John Mulvihill, currently head coach at Cardiff; Forwards coach — Andrew Blades, currently a very successful schoolboys coach in Sydney.You don’t need any more.
“Fresh blood, fresh approach, fresh ideas. Remember, we are not short of talent. We are short of successful ways of using the ball in the hands of that talent.”
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