Eddie Jones not fooling anyone as sad Wallabies reality hits after Bledisloe
The Wallabies capitulated after a strong start against the All Blacks, with the Bledisloe Cup in Kiwi hands for the 21st year in a row.
World Cup-winning Wallabies captain Nick Farr-Jones has called for patience and understanding as pressure mounts on Australia coach Eddie Jones following a third straight defeat in his second stint in charge. The Wallabies were in the fight for the first half hour of Saturday's Bledisloe Cup opener at the MCG on Saturday night before predictably falling away to lose 38-7 before a crowd of nearly 84,000.
Ill-discipline and an inability to seize the big moments again conspired to bring about Australia's demise in a rinse and repeat performance seen so many times under former coach Dave Rennie. The defeat means the Wallabies have now suffered losses to South Africa, Argentina and New Zealand in Jones' second coming and face the real prospect of heading to the World Cup without a win under their belts this year.
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Jones has been on a PR charm offensive since returning to office, continually talking his team up and predicting better days ahead for Australian rugby. The reality – as we've seen from the last three Tests results – tells the real story but Farr-Jones, who led the Wallabies to World Cup success in 1991, is backing Jones to get it right.
"There's probably a bit of bluster (in the way Jones talks things up) but it has to be that way," Farr-Jones told Yahoo Sport Australia. "He has to try and pump these guys' tyres up in difficult times.
"One thing you’ve got to have – both individually and collectively as a team – is confidence. I think it's a huge part of the game and if you lose it, you struggle.
"Eddie and the guys can say 'we're fine, we'll get over there (to the World Cup) and do well' but it’s hard if you haven't got that confidence. Losing can become a habit but Eddie and the team can turn this around.
"Remember, it took us at least two years to develop that team and the culture that was required to win a World Cup. It doesn't happen overnight."
Eddie Jones hoping for Wallabies improvement despite shellacking
Jones praised the Wallabies' first 20 minutes against the All Blacks but acknowledged it was nowhere near good enough to cause an upset and give Australia hope of winning back the Bledisloe Cup for the first time in 21 years.
He said: "I'm very disappointed about the result, the scoreline - that’s a real negative for us.
"If you arrived from Mars and watched the first 20 minutes, you would probably think the gold team was the stronger team - that is the reality.
"But you've got to be able to do it for 80 minutes and when you have teams under pressure you have to convert that to points and that is a step we need to take."
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