There’s rarely a dull moment with Eddie Jones and his latest coaching quirk attracted a gaggle of curious onlookers at Coogee Beach on Tuesday.
Instead of migrating whales or surfing dolphins there was a mob of Wallabies Rugby World Cup hopefuls, wrestling and mauling barefoot on the cold winter sand.
New Wallabies scrum coach Neal Hatley – a fly in from England – was asked if he could have pictured such an unusual scene just a couple of months ago.
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“No, I would have probably had the head read,” Hatley replied.
“It’s brilliant, an unbelievable opportunity. Even this morning, I didn’t think I’d be getting up and wrestling with Harry Wilson or Fraser McReight.”
Jones will name his Rugby Championship squad on Sunday as the Wallabies prepare for a daunting opener against the world champion Springboks on July 9 (AEST).
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Australia has slumped to seventh in the global rankings but a favourable World Cup draw – and Jones’ outstanding record in the tournament – means hope springs eternal.
Hatley has rekindled his pairing with Jones Down Under after the duo helped build a powerful England pack that reached the 2019 World Cup final.
“I was fortunate enough to work with Eddie for four years leading into the 2019 World Cup,” Hatley said.
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“And I’ve never worked with anyone who’s more fastidious and analytical in his preparation and his planning. In the previous World Cup that I worked with him there, the planning going into it was just next level. I want to work with people like that, somebody who pushes me every day to get the most out of the players every day.”
Springboks coach Jacques Nienaber has named a squad that includes battle hardened props Thomas du Toit, Steven Kitshoff, Vincent Koch, Frans Malherbe, Ox Nche and Trevor Nyakane who will immediately want to test Australia’s manhood in Pretoria.
Hatley said it was important to have flexibility with scrum tactics.
“We need to be able to, on certain days, play ball in and away and when we feel that we’ve got somebody on toast, we need to be able to attack them and win penalties…
“Eddie’s expectations are really clear. He wants a fearsome Wallabies pack – he wants a pack that can scrum and maul with the best of them. We’ve got to be able to do both.”
Former Bath coach Hatley replaced Petrus du Plessis as Australia’s scrum guru in May.
The 53-year-old said his first phone call after being offered the job was to former Wallabies and England assistant coach Scott Wisemantel.
“I asked what he thought and he said ‘100 per cent, win the World Cup,’ otherwise he wouldn’t have been involved. So, yeah, I think we’ve got the players…
“We’ll get the tweaks that we need, to make sure we’re really competitive and not just competitive, but we can attack teams at World Cup.”
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