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‘For the greater good’: What Wallabies great told Eddie Jones’ team
By Finn Morton
Rugby World Cup winner George Gregan has gone inside the Wallabies’ inner sanctum as Eddie Jones’ young side prepares to begin their quest for the prestigious Webb Ellis Cup.
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Following a disastrous Rugby Championship campaign, and a heartbreaking defeat to the All Blacks in Dunedin, the Wallabies said au revoir to Australia as they set their sights on France.
The opportunity to etch their names into history awaits the young Wallabies, and it all starts in just over a week’s time against Georgia in Paris.
As they ready themselves for what is widely considered to be an unlikely charge at the sports top prize, the Wallabies have followed “traditional” by inviting a series of legends into their camp.
World Cup-winning captain John Eales has visited the team, and former Australia halfback George Gregan has also shared some knowledge.
“We had George Gregan in earlier in the week and he said, ‘You don’t get experience until someone backs you’,” Wallaby flanker Fraser McReight told reporters.
“For us, we’ve got the backing through Eddie and it fills me with confidence, I know that, and I know if it’s doing it for me it’s going for the rest of the group.
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“We all love each other and are super excited, I know I’m super excited, to rip in with these lads.”
Gregan has “won pretty much everything under the sun” in rugby union, including the 1999 Rugby World Cup alongside aforementioned skipper John Eales.
The former Wallaby is one of the greatest halfbacks to have ever played the game and is widely considered one of the best rugby players to have donned Australian gold.
While wins continue to allude the Aussies, Gregan shared a “really special” moment with the Wallabies after their 41-17 loss to World Cup hosts France in Paris last Sunday.
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“George has come in, he’s won a World Cup, he’s won a Bledisloe (Cup), he’s won pretty much everything under the sun that we want to do and achieve,” McReight added.
“As an ex-captain, as a successful captain and player, he just told us his rugby journey and where that took (him) and what it made for him in terms of the sacrifices he had to do, and the growing and the adapting and the sacrifices that he had to do for the greater good.
“We had a beer with him after the game and he was in the changeroom, it was really special for us.
“It’s a pretty cool thing that we get to be a part of.”
George Gregan … what a rugby player! Great respect for him. But, I’m afraid it will be, Four More Years for the Wallabies.