Northern Edition

Select Edition

Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
New Zealand New Zealand
France France

Eddie Jones weighs in on TMO controversy

Eddie Jones at pre-match training with the Wallabies

Ahead of Australia’s crucial clash with Fiji in Saint-Étienne on Sunday, the combative head coach delivers his assessment on the state of international rugby.

ADVERTISEMENT

Less focus on power, more continuous play and a serious rethink about the use of the Telivision Match Official (TMO) – these are Eddie Jones’ latest manifesto points for a better, healthier game.

The Australia head coach may have a squad to prepare for a critical World Cup match against Fiji, but that did not stop him from sharing his thoughts on where international rugby, and those in charge, need to improve.

“You can see in this World Cup the game is evolving into these 30-second bouts of absolute power,” Jones said. “Big people (are) playing the game, so, you’ve got these 30-second bouts of power then interspersed with a two-minute burst of ‘soccer’ where there is a lot of transition and you’ve got to be able to play really quickly.

“I think it’s really fascinating at the moment where the game will go next. World Rugby have tried to make the game safer but they’ve made it more powerful, by having more stoppages in the game. And there’s risks to that, there’s risks when the game becomes more powerful.”

On a day when Jones was having to deal with the damaging prospect of skipper Will Skelton joining other injured Wallaby big guns, prop Taniela Tupou and first-choice scrum-half Tate McDermott, on the sidelines, he was adamant that “this World Cup is going to be decided by who can win those power contests”.

Related

The man who took England to the final four years ago did acknowledge that facing Fiji is one of the few games where the transitional ‘soccer-like’ play takes on added importance. But most of the time, it is the power game that wins out and that, according to Jones, is not good news.

ADVERTISEMENT

“You know the average ball-in-play is 30 seconds, the average break-in-play is 70 seconds, so you encourage a power contest. We need more continuous play,” he argued.

“We are lucky because international rugby is so popular. You look at Lille last night, 50,000 there to watch France play Uruguay. We play a practice game (pre-Rugby World Cup) against France, there’s 80,000 people there. International rugby is so popular we could almost put anything on the field and people are still going to come because of the nationalism and patriotism of the teams.

“But we really need to improve the game.”

Jones’ World Cup coaching record is second to very few. With two finals appearances plus arguably the greatest shock ever to his name as head coach, and a winner’s medal from his time as assistant coach to the Springboks in 2007, the 63-year-old has just about done it all.

But preparing a team to take on the 2023 demands of being both uber-powerful and yet able to occasionally switch and play at super-speed is a live challenge.

ADVERTISEMENT

“Coaching-wise, I think how you prepare S&C-wise (strength and conditioning) for almost two different games is quite intriguing,” Jones said. “And then how you get the players to have the skillset to be able to play this power game and at the same time be able to play an open, transitional game.”

Should Jones manage to achieve the feat and get his power players tuned up to compete with Fiji’s counter-attacking, counter-rucking specialists, his side will have almost guaranteed their spot in the quarter-finals. But before turning his full attention back to that task, Jones had time for one more swipe at modern rugby.

“I think our use of the TMO in rugby is fraught with danger. They are asking a referee in the grandstand to make decisions on a different angle on the game, through video. It’s not making the game a better spectacle, it’s not making a better game for the players.”

Fixture
Rugby World Cup
Australia
15 - 22
Full-time
Fiji
All Stats and Data
ADVERTISEMENT

Kubota Spears vs Tokyo Sungoliath | Japan Rugby League One 2024/25 | Quarter Final Replay

Australia vs USA | Pacific Four Series 2025 | Full Match Replay

New Zealand vs Canada | Pacific Four Series 2025 | Full Match Replay

South Africa vs New Zealand | The Rugby Championship U20's | Full Match Replay

Argentina vs Australia | The Rugby Championship U20's | Full Match Replay

The Game that Made Jonah Lomu

The gruelling reality behind one of the fastest sports in the world | The Report

Boks Office | Episode 40 | The Steven Kitshoff Special

Trending on RugbyPass

Comments

5 Comments
A
Anand 612 days ago

Yeah Eddie!?!

We should remove the TMO so that players can get away with more errors & consequent Bull shit.

Clapping 👏

I'd say leaving out the more experienced players hasn't worked out for you 😂

h
hm 613 days ago

interesting perspective. aside from the spectacle and the competitiveness at this world cup the rugby itself is shallow. maybe they need to stop making kicks contestable. if you kick it in the air, only the other team can catch it…. might stop the soccer.

M
MJ 612 days ago

Yes as one pundit pointed out get rid of the bulk of the reserves. Have your front row and 1 extra so ai least half the pack has to play 80 minutes.

J
JW 613 days ago

That would be interesting. Couldn't see how they would make it a viable rule, the kicker must be moving forward if chasers are to be allowed to jumper/catch the ball?


Only the top sides have adopted this power game Eddie talks of, its a very specific niche of data he'll be using (made for someone trying to win the cup), for the most part the rugby, and world rugby in general, is still in good stead. They will head the same way eventually though, if changes aren't made like he says.

Load More Comments

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Features

Comments on RugbyPass

S
Solenn Bonnet 9 days ago
Leinster cleanse palette with record URC scoreline against Zebre

My name is Solenn Bonnet, and I am a single mother navigating the challenges of raising my two-year-old child while trying to make ends meet. I came across a trading platform that promised astonishing daily profits of 18%. The allure of such a high return on investment was too tempting to resist, and I found myself drawn into cryptocurrency trading. Excited by the prospect of financial freedom, I invested a significant amount of my savings, totaling over 5.7 BTC. However, what started as a hopeful venture quickly turned into a nightmare. The platform was a scam, and I lost everything I had invested. The emotional toll of this loss was immense; I felt devastated and helpless, struggling to provide for my child and keep up with my bills. In my desperate attempt to recover my funds, I sought help from various recovery experts. Unfortunately, I encountered numerous fraudulent individuals who claimed they could help me retrieve my lost money. Each time I reached out, I was met with disappointment and further scams, which only deepened my despair. Last year was one of the most challenging periods of my life, filled with anxiety and uncertainty about my financial future. Feeling overwhelmed and at a loss, I confided in a close friend from church about my situation. She listened compassionately and shared her own experiences with financial difficulties. Understanding my plight, she introduced me to Tech Cyber Force Recovery, a group of skilled hackers known for their expertise in recovering lost funds. Skeptical yet hopeful, I decided to reach out to them as a last resort. Their services came at a higher cost, but my friend generously offered to help me with a partial payment. I was amazed by how quickly they responded and began the recovery process. Their team was professional, efficient, and incredibly supportive throughout the entire ordeal. To my relief, they successfully recovered more than I had lost to those heartless scammers. This was truly transformative, and I felt a sense of relief and gratitude that I hadn’t felt in a long time. I strongly encourage anyone who has faced similar challenges or fallen victim to scams to reach out to Tech Cyber Force Recovery. If you’ve invested in a fraudulent platform like I did, they are highly capable of helping you reclaim your hard-earned money. Don’t lose hope; there is a way to recover what you’ve lost.

CONSULT TECH CYBER FORCE RECOVERY

EMAIL.. support@techyforcecyberretrieval.com

WhatsApp.. +15617263697

website.. https://techyforcecyberretrieval.com

Telegram.. +15617263697

0 Go to comments
TRENDING
TRENDING Schalk Burger's preferred position for Henry Pollock may not go down well Burger's preferred position for Pollock may not go down well
Search