Rugby fans are running out of patience for Eddie Jones and his Wallabies to rebuild, including Australian legend David Campese who has joined fans in slamming the coach after the Fiji failure.
The Wallabies Rugby World Cup has reached crisis point after a shock loss to Fiji, meaning Australia may not escape the pool stages for the first time in history.
Jones’ second coming as Wallabies coach was intended to lead a new generation of players, but so far it has only led to failure.
If the Wallabies lose their final group match to Wales this weekend, the curtain will fall on their World Cup campaign – and the fans have had enough.
‘Excellent effort by Fiji. The Wallabies were sad. Eddie Jones is a snake oil salesman,” someone posted after Jones previously declared this team would win the World Cup.
“If Eddie Jones was a sleeper agent sent from England to weaken Australian rugby, how would he behave differently?” asked another.
“I think Eddie Jones will be out of a job after the World Cup,” one fan posted, echoing the sentiment of many.
The Wallabies have hit rock bottom after losing to Fiji for the first time in 69 years and putting their Rugby World Cup ambitions on life support
David Campese, pictured holding the Webb Ellis Trophy, is a World Cup winner and has singled out Jones for criticizing the current state of Australian rugby
Jones infamously promised this side would win the World Cup, but now it could make history for all the wrong reasons and not progress to the quarter-finals at all
Wallabies legend David Campese, who was part of the 1991 World Cup victory, said the time for excuses had passed.
“Of course, losing players like Will Skelton and Taniela Tupou didn’t help our cause, but World Cup campaigns are based on squads, not individuals, and it was our squad and leadership that fell short,” he wrote.
“Watching the Wallabies get involved in playing Fiji at their own game really irritated me. Australia seemed intent on matching the same power-carry play, but without any artillery around to deliver it.
This was a team that had no idea how to attack and didn’t know each other’s game
Wallabies legend David Campese
Given the kicking capabilities of Nic White, Carter Gordon and Ben Donaldson, I was surprised the Aussies didn’t use their exit and open field football skills to get into territorial positions where they could keep the scoreboard ticking. the early.
‘If you have an advantage in the lineout, the spade game is an obvious weapon because you have a one in five chance of stealing the ball again in the set-piece.
‘But to suddenly switch to a kicking strategy in the last five minutes, when Australia had to run the length of the pitch to draw, absolutely defied my understanding. This was a team that had no idea how to attack and didn’t know each other’s attacking game.
‘It’s just not the way the Wallabies play rugby and if we continue to do that we will lose the support of our people who come to watch our traditional Australian brand – attacking, intelligent and highly skilled, ironically the qualities that make Fiji the exhibited in this game all evening. agreement.’
While the majority of Wallabies fans were left shocked, disappointed and frustrated, a handful defended Jones and believed the current state of rugby in Australia meant any coach would have little success in France.
“Many will want to blame Eddie Jones, but the rot goes deeper,” one person wrote.
“Rugby Australia’s pathetic mismanagement has led to this more than Eddie Jones’ selection,” added another.
Jones himself took full responsibility for the loss, even going so far as to apologize to Australian rugby fans.
“We are doing the best we can, and I apologize,” he said.
‘It’s my fault, I take full responsibility for it.
“It definitely hurts, it hurts personally, 100 percent. I am 100 percent responsible for it.
‘I have chosen a young team and I want this young team to become a good team.
“We had a bad day today, that can happen and we have to be better next week.
“That’s my responsibility.”
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