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‘I feel for these boys’: Sonny Bill Williams’ ‘honest’ view on Eddie Jones
By Finn Morton
Two-time Rugby World Cup winning All Black Sonny Bill Williams has taken aim at Wallabies coach Eddie Jones after Australia’s record defeat at the sports showpiece event on Sunday evening.
The Wallabies' quest for Rugby World Cup glory has almost certainly come to an abrupt end with the Aussies falling to a catastrophic 40-6 loss to Wales at OL Stadium.
Thousands of supporters draped in gold watched on as a young Wallabies outfit struggled to keep up with a Welsh team who, in all honesty, looked like they wanted it more.
Wales halfback Gareth Davies scored the opening try in just the second minute, and while the Wallabies managed to make it a one-point game shortly after, they were never really in the fight.
Warren Gatland’s men booked a place in the quarter-finals while the Wallabies will have to wait another four years for redemption after their biggest defeat in World Cup history.
“Let’s talk on tonight first and foremost,” Sonny-Bill Williams said on Australia’s Stan Sport post-game. “That second half team, they look like a team that just lost belief, they didn’t believe in themselves.
“They came out here, they didn’t perform at all, it was really, really disappointing.
“I feel for these boys, I feel for the fans. I want to keep it real on here, they were up against it from the start… questions need to be asked from selections to the mind games that Eddie’s been playing with these kids, these guys, these young men.
“There’s a guy (former captain Michael Hooper) in the studio back home that should be here right now.
“The proofs in the pudding, 40-6 was really embarrassing and I feel for these kids – they’re gonna carry this on for the rest of their careers and feel this until they get to come back here again and rectify it.”
Williams, 38, also shared an “honest opinion” on Eddie Jones’ coaching drama following a report which suggests that he interviewed for another job before the World Cup.
According to The Sydney Morning Herald, Jones applied for the head coach role with Japan less than two weeks out from the Rugby World Cup.
The Wallabies had lost all four tests under coach Jones before flying to France. Their record has since extended to just one win from eight starts following losses to France, Fiji and now Wales.
“From a players' point of view I’m not following a guy that’s having a meeting with another national tame, potentially looking for another job days before you’re hopping on the plane to come to this World Cup,” Williams added.
“That’s just my opinion. I might be different, I might be going a bit too far here, but that’s my honest opinion.
“I’m just being honest, I feel for these boys because I know what it takes… the structure of the Australian Rugby Union needs to be looked at.”
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Latest Comments
Don't think you've watched enough. I'll take him over anything I's seen so far. But let's see how the future pans out. I'm quietly confident we have a row of 10's lined uo who would each start in many really good teams.
Go to commentsHopefully Joe stays where he is. That would mean Les, McKellar, larkham and Cron should as well. It’s the stability we need in the state programs. But, if Joe goes, RA with its current financial situation will be forced into promoting from within. And this will likely destabilise other areas.
To better understand some of the entrenched bitterness of those outside of NZ and NSW (as an example 😂), Nic, there is probably a comparison to the old hard heads of welsh rugby who are still stuck in the 1970s. Before the days where clubs merged, professionalism started, and the many sharp knives were put into the backs of those who loved the game more than everyone else. I’m sure you know a few... But given your comparison of rugby in both wales and Australia, there are a few north of the tweed that will never trust a kiwi or NSWelshman because of historical events and issues over the history of the game. It is what it is. For some, time does not heal all wounds. And it is still festering away in some people. Happy holidays to you. All the best in 2025.
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