Wallabies great Joe Roff explains why Eddie Jones can do the seemingly impossible and take Australia to World Cup victory
- Jones will bring psychological edge
- A new Golden Age on the horizon
- Five tests for the World Cup
Test great Joe Roff predicts a new golden era for the Wallabies and believes Eddie Jones can pull off a coaching miracle and lead Australia to Rugby World Cup glory.
Jones has just five Tests before the global showpiece kicks off in France on September 8 to both settle for a 33-man squad and bring his forwards into top form after dropping by parachute in January to replace Dave Rennie.
But if anyone can do it, says Roff, it’s Eddie Jones.
Roff played under Jones in the Brumbies’ victorious Super 12 side in 2001 and also when the Wallabies last won the Bledisloe Cup in 2002 and says he remains the ‘best coach in the business’.
He believes having Jones back at the helm could mean the difference in what is being tipped as the tightest World Cup to date.
Former rugby great Joe Roff believes Eddie Jones will lead the Wallabies to success at the upcoming World Cup in France
“The psychology and the one percent wins is something that we didn’t quite have in my early days playing for the Wallabies, but we learned that and we built that as a team,” Roff said Wednesday when CommBank Stadium was announced as the venue for the Wallabies’ first home test of the year against Argentina on 15 July.
“Eddie will bring that edge, that psychological edge into play.
“We know he’s playing against the Pumas, he’s coaching his old friend Michael Cheika and let’s hope the acoustics in the respective coaches are good because there will be a lot of noise and rivalry between those two old friends and foes.
And this is what Eddie is good at. He is never backward in taking a strong and confident step forward and players will feel that and it will rub off on them.
“There’s no question about the talent that’s on this team and it’s about building the combinations and the winning momentum and so these early test matches will be an exciting opportunity to get that momentum going.”
Roff played in Australia’s 1999 World Cup and the Wallabies team that held the Bledisloe Cup for six consecutive years from 1998 to 2003.
Roff (pictured alongside Wallabies stars Taniela Tupou, David Porecki and Angus Bell) believes the national side is entering a golden age
The newly appointed president of Rugby Australia senses another golden age is upon us for the Wallabies.
“I had the great honor of being in the dressing room when we held the Bledisloe Cup and when we held the Rugby World Cup and I feel like it’s a dam about to burst,” said Roff.
“Not just with the fact that we have the Rugby World Cup and we have always performed well in the Northern Hemisphere.
“We have the Lions coming up (in 2025) and we have a World Cup at home in a few years (2027).
‘There is a strong recruitment drive, there is a strong national agenda and approach to what we do.
“So it’s an exciting time to be a part of it.”