Eddie Jones's reign with the Wallabies came to an end this week. It would be harder to find a more dysfunctional, damaging and for the neutral, entertaining, time in Australian rugby's storied history. Jones said that this was World Cup was 'smash and grab' territory, prior to the World Cup. He followed this by a squad selection which didn't feature Australia's most capped captain in Michael Hooper, only one fly-half in 22 year old Carter Gordon while leaving Quade Cooper and Bernard Foley out of his squad. After this selection came the infamous 'Eddiana Jones' interview, only hours after one of his top assistants Brad Davis left his role on the eve of the World Cup. Upon reflection, his tenure as Australian head coach was an absolute car crash.
Eddiana Jones and the Media of Doom pic.twitter.com/4VAG128ZNh
— A-P (@rugby_ap) August 17, 2023
Disaster- On and Off the Pitch
That's before you even discuss the output on the pitch. Jones took over from Dave Rennie in January of this year while Australia had produced some decent performances across the Rugby Championship with Michael Hooper and James Slipper as co-captains, they lost 3 games out of 3 and lost narrowly in the away leg of the Bledisloe in Dunedin, 23-20. He coached them in 9 test matches of which he managed to win only two, against Georgia and Portugal. Their loss to Fiji, 22-15 left them requiring a win against Wales. Jones' Wallabies suffered their largest ever World Cup defeat, 40-6, as they crashed out in the pool stages for the first time in the nation's history. Former Wallaby Drew Mitchell spoke after the loss to Fiji in which he tore in to Jones' coaching and management style:
Drew doesn’t hold back 😡 after the Wallabies defeat to Fiji. He wants some answers from Eddie and he wants them now!
Watch 📺 and listen 🎧 to the latest episode of #GBRA now.
Powered by Harvey Norman pic.twitter.com/aZSuf0x6MQ— GoodBadRugbyAus (@GoodBadRugbyAus) September 20, 2023
The anarchy that followed Jones' didn't relent there. On the morning of the Wales game, which Jones assured Wallaby fans his team would win only 6 days before, it was reported by Tom Decent, that Jones had been in contact with the Japanese Rugby Union about a return to the head coaching role while at the Rugby World Cup with Australia. Jones assured that the the post match press conference that he had no such dealings and that he was committed to Australian Rugby. Jones reaffirmed this after the World Cup, only to formally resign within two weeks of that statement.
Wallabies coach Eddie Jones has pulled the pin on his 5 year deal, quitting overnight putting an end to rampant speculation in the aftermath of the World Cup. pic.twitter.com/fV3Ye7BufE
— Jack Hahn (@JackHahn9News) October 30, 2023
Endorsements for Andy Friend
This leaves Rugby Australia in crisis. One of the most successful nations in the history of the sport now have no coach, captain or set contingency plans at the beginning of a four-year cycle in which the British and Irish Lions are set to land on Australian shores in 2025, followed by a home World Cup in 2027.
Andy Goode, one of Jones' most outspoken critics since his appointment, stated a month ago off the back of the Welsh defeat that his position as head coach was "untenable." In response to a statement by George Gregan who said, "Who else is there (to coach Australia)?"
Goode said this:
I'm going to throw a name in to the mix... Andy Friend. Now, Friendy, he's a great bloke, a brilliant coach, he's got experience of Australia, he's Australian, he has learnt hell of a lot at Connacht and done a bloody good job. He knows the detail of what has worked in Ireland. I don't think there's a better man. Aussies like Aussies, they didn't take to Dave Rennie that well. For me, go and get Friendy, he's in his camper van in France somewhere so go and get him now and sack Eddie tomorrow. Go and get Andy Friend because his detail and understanding showed in what he did at Connacht and his knowledge of World Rugby, what he can bring back in IP from Ireland to Australia to improve them as a whole country, as a national team but also get the structures in place, he's the ideal man for Australia.
As Goode pointed out, Friend has spent the last few months travelling around France with his wife following the World Cup. After taking over from Pat Lam, he did a phenomenal job in rebuilding a Connacht team which had an enormous amount of inexperienced players and implementing an extremely watchable and stylish brand of rugby. Bernard Jackman has also endorsed Friend as a top candidate for the position.
Something Wallaby fans are crying out for is to remove the drama and ingrain a hard working ethos to a team that doesn't get in the headlines for the wrong reasons. Andy Friend is understated but one of the hardest working coaches that has ever come to Ireland. He was beloved by Connacht fans and they produced some brilliant results including overturning provincial rivals, Ulster, in the URC quarterfinals in Friend's last campaign with the province.
Australian rugby is at rock bottom. Whoever would come in as coach would be given every possible resource to rebuild all of Rugby Australia as well as the team itself. Friend would bring a culture, identity and play style back to the Wallabies. The situation would suit the former Connacht head coach perfectly.
