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'As rough as they come': How Jones views a familiar Wallabies face
By Liam Heagney
Eddie Jones has paid a colourful tribute to Scott Wisemantel, the current Wallabies assistant coach who was part of the backroom staff that powered England to the final of the 2019 World Cup. The attack coach is back at Twickenham this Saturday looking to help Dave Rennie's Australia secure an Autumn Nations Series win and he will be welcomed with open arms by his former England boss.
"He is a great coach and even better a great bloke, a great Australian bloke, as rough as they come," enthused Jones ahead of this weekend's reunion with Wisemantel at England rugby HQ. "He has still got his first pair of board shirts when he was 16 and when he comes to camp he usually has got board shorts and the same blue and white t-shirt he has had for 24 years.
"That probably sums him up. He just loves the game, loves the players, has got a huge amount of enthusiasm for the game. The amount of players he has coached and improved is remarkable around the world.
"He has coached Australia, Samoa, Japan, England and had an influence on all those players and if you mention his name to any of those players they will have a smile on their face. He is as mad as a cut snake."
The work that Wisemantel has done since 2020 with the Wallabies is just one reason why Jones feels Australia have plenty to be optimistic about looking towards the future. "Australia have always been an inventive team and Dave Rennie has always got a good tactical plan based on their robustness around the breakdown.
"Scott Wisemantel I have known since 2001 so I know he will be planning, he will have a couple of trick plays up his sleeve. The set-piece has improved under the Brumbies influence of Dan McKellar and they are in a good spot, Australian rugby.
"They have got a young side going to the 2023 World Cup, they have got the Lions coming in 2025, and if you listen to the beat of the drum they have got the World Cup in 2027 so they have got a lot to look forward to and global rugby needs a strong Australia and this is an important time for them to keep growing."
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