Eddie Jones conceded it was “a long day at the office” as the Wallabies made a disastrous start to his second stint in charge on Saturday, and fired back when questioned about his pre-match comments on the Boks.
After taking a surprise early lead through left wing Marika Koroibete, the Aussies just couldn’t cope with the ferocity of the Boks and went down 43-12 in the Rugby Championship clash at Loftus Versfeld.
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Jones had come into the week upbeat about his team’s chances in the Rugby Championship opener, even raising questions over the Springboks’ decision to send 13 players to New Zealand to prepare for the round two clash in Auckland.
The Australian had told reporters in Sydney that he didn’t want to face a “half-baked” Bok side, but his comments came back to haunt him as the Wallabies were comprehensively beaten at a sold-out Loftus Versfeld.
During the post-match press conference, Jones made no excuses for his team’s poor performance, but took exception when he was asked about his concerns over the make-up of the Bok team.
“South Africans are good at winning. You don’t have to be a smart arse mate,” Jones replied.
“We were well and truly beaten today by a Springboks side that old mate is calling the B-team, right? I never knew there was a Springboks side that was called the B-team.”
Following the press-conference, in a Jose Mourinho-esque scene, Jones berated the journalist who asked him the question and denied raising questions over the Springboks.
“You should have more respect, mate. I never said that, mate. I said we always want to play the best. Show some respect,” he said before storming out.
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During the press conference, Jones was honest about the Wallabies’ failings after Australia suffered an eighth consecutive loss at Loftus Versfeld since first playing there 60 years ago.
“We just got beaten to the punch,” he admitted.
“We really got beaten in the set pieces. We got beaten on the gainline. We got beaten in the air. When you do not win any of those contests, it is going to be a long day at the office, which it was for us tonight.”
Photo: Mark Kolbe/Getty Images
