Eddie Jones has revealed that he spoke to Sydney boss John Longmire before deciding to name Michael Hooper and James Slipper as co-captains of the Wallabies.
Hooper, who can boast the most caps in Australia as skipper, was not captain of the side on his return at the end of last year after a three-month mental health break.
He will now team up with the man who filled in for him in Slipper, with the two Test centurions sharing a total of 251 Wallabies caps.
The Wallabies boss said he had spoken with Longmire at length to discuss the merits of appointing two co-captains, a practice the Swans have followed for years but remains largely unusual in rugby.
It comes after Jones asked NRL great Andrew Johns to train with the Wallabies last week.
Eddie Jones revealed he spoke to Swans boss John Longmire before naming his Wallabies squad for the Rugby Championship
Jones named James Slipper (left) and Michael Hooper (right) as co-captains
“Last Wednesday, mate, I went out and spent the day at Sydney Swans with John Longmire,” he shared Nine’s Sports Sunday.
“And they have a tradition of being co-captain, you know, they’ve had up to eight captains, they’ve had three captains and I just wanted to dig deeper into the pros and cons.
“And I think with Slips and Hoops we cover the scope of the team. Both have a slightly different approach to leadership, both have a slightly different approach to how they play the game.”
Jones has selected five overseas players in his Rugby Championship squad – more than the three Rugby Australia normally allows – with potential debutant Richie Arnold joining Samu Kerevi, Marika Koroibete, Will Skelton and Quade Cooper.
There is no room for five-eighth Bernard Foley, with Jones opting instead for Melbourne starlet Carter Gordon and outside back utilities Ben Donaldson and Reece Hodge.
Jones has selected eight unrestricted players for the squad to face South Africa, New Zealand and Argentina, with leading striker Brumbies Lock Tom Hooper, who, after returning from a foot injury, completed an impressive end to the Super Rugby Pacific season. experienced season.
Queensland duo Matt Faessler and Zane Nonggorr, NSW flyer Dylan Pietsch and Melbourne utility Josh Kemeny are also lining up for their first caps, along with Ryan Lonergan, Gordon and Arnold.
Tate McDermott has been recalled after Jones left him out of his April training camp, joining Lonergan and Nic White as the halfbacks.
Jones and Swans boss John Longmire discussed the merits of naming two co-captains
Last week Jones NRL asked Andrew Johns (right) to help the Wallabies train
ACT five-eighth Noah Lolesio has been overlooked again, the 12-cap youngster not in Jones’ plans, with the coach favoring Gordon and Cooper as his key playmakers.
Jones said Slipper and Hooper were the perfect players to lead the side on a smash and grab mission to win the World Cup later this year.
“Michael and James are both world class players, strong leaders and epitomize what it means to be a Wallaby,” he said.
They have worked hard with the leadership group since January and it will be important that they continue to receive strong support from the players around them.
“Getting selected in the squad is just the beginning, we now have to build the team and that will take hard work and get a little bit more out of everyone involved.”
The side meet on the Gold Coast on Sunday, with their first game in less than two weeks against the Springboks in Pretoria on July 8.
A rehabilitation group includes Waratah’s behemoth Angus Bell, Rebel fullback Andrew Kellaway and Queensland prospect Jordan Petaia.
Four players were listed as ineligible for selection due to injury, including NSW young gun Max Jorgensen and ACT speedster Corey Toole.
A train-on squad includes some of the more notable omissions in Foley, Queensland, returning James O’Connor, Hunter Paisami, Jake Gordon and Lachie Lonergan.