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Eddie Jones says the Wallabies have only started working on their defence in the past week and has declared his improving side are a legitimate Rugby World Cup threat after pushing the All Blacks all the way in a 23-20 loss in Dunedin.
The Wallabies were better for longer periods than they were in Melbourne last week, and while Jones acknowledged his young scrum was “ugly” in the second half, he said he had seen enough to be confident about their chances in France.
“100%,” said Jones when asked if the Wallabies could win the Rugby World Cup if they continued to get better. “As a matter of fact I think we will.
“If I could bet on it I would, but I think you get in trouble if you bet.”
Jones has never lacked confidence, but his good mood in the post-game press conference reflected the genuine steps forward the Wallabies appeared to take in Dunedin.
Their lack of depth at prop – they have already lost Allan Alaalatoa to a season-ending Achilles injury – may come back to haunt them in France, but their attacking blueprint was clear at Forsyth Barr Stadium, and All Blacks coach Ian Foster and captain Sam Cane acknowledged they had been put under pressure.
Jones said it was pleasing to see that the work they had put into their attacking structures come to fruition in the first half.
“…I thought our first 40 minutes were very good,” he said.
“I thought New Zealand’s first 30 in the second half was equally as good, and you know, there’s one upright in the game [a missed penalty by Carter Gordon].
“Congratulations to New Zealand, but I think we’re going in the right direction. I thought for a young guy, Tate [McDermott] captained side for the first time, he did an incredible job.
“So, there’s a lot for us to be positive about.”
The Wallabies were effective in the first half when they used big athletes such as winger Mark Nawaqanitawase and midfielder Samu Kerevi as runners off halfback Tate McDermott, and Jones confirmed this would be their identity heading towards France.
“That’s how we want to play,” Jones said. “You look at our team, we’re a running team.
“We’ve got big men, with the ability to change direction in small spaces and we want to use that.
“We need to play a, a strong running game, and then we’ve got obviously two good halfbacks and good No 10s that are able to shift the ball away from that when we need to.”
The All Blacks could yet meet the Wallabies at the Rugby World Cup. While the focus so far has been on the harder side of the draw – involving the All Blacks, South Africa, France, Ireland and Scotland – the Wallabies could be waiting from the semifinals onwards.
Joe Allison/Getty Images
Wallabies head coach Eddie Jones and captain Tate McDermott at the post-match press conference.
“I think the big difference between the two teams tonight is that New Zealand’s work off the ball is better than ours,” Jones said.
“That’s an area we need to improve.
“You know, our work on the ball was pretty good tonight as it was last week.
“So, we can improve our work off the ball, which is one of the easiest things to improve, but we need to develop better habits in that area.
“We’re starting to get those. We’re going to be a hell of a team.”
Jones also hinted that he was giving strong consideration to keeping McDermott as his captain, as the Queensland halfback’s elevation to the job on Saturday seemed to suit both him and the team.
“It’s a good question,” Jones said.
“Look, we got to pick the squad first [the Wallabies squad for the Rugby World Cup is announced on Thursday], and then we’ll decide on captaincy.
“But certainly Tate’s one of the candidates – a strong candidate.”
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