Eddie Jones is licking his lips at the prospect of a Wallabies victory over the All Blacks, which he warns could sink the New Zealand economy.
Under-pressure Australia coach Jones rolled the dice on Thursday with a new-look team to face the Kiwis in Melbourne on Saturday.
The Wallabies head into the game after consecutive defeats to South Africa and Argentina, and should the All Blacks win they will retain not only the Rugby Championship title, but also the Bledisloe Cup, which Australia has not won since 2002.
The All Blacks will make it back-to-back Rugby Championship titles after defeating the Wallabies in front of a packed MCG, according to @mark_keohane and Zels. pic.twitter.com/hkRXfL5v2j
— SA Rugby magazine (@SARugbymag) July 27, 2023
Jones is without a win since taking over from Dave Rennie, but it didn’t stopped the former England boss from waxing lyrical in the build-up to this weekend’s clash.
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Speaking in a Wallabies conference, the witty Aussie even warned a Kiwi reporter about reading too much into the All Blacks’ huge wins against the Boks and Los Pumas.
“There’s nothing better than winning against New Zealand because you feel the country sinking,” Jones said. “It’s not just rugby sinks, the country sinks. The whole economy goes down.
“The prime minister is there with his fingers crossed, hoping the All Blacks win, because he knows the economy’s going to drop if they lose. And so we can have that effect.
“Maybe put the New Zealand prime minister on call that the economy’s going to suffer.”
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He added: “There’s nothing better than Australian rugby taking on New Zealand rugby, because the New Zealanders all think they’re better than us. They always have.
“But can we put the Kiwis under pressure on Saturday? Yes. And a lot of pressure. And maybe they’re going to get a bit of a surprise.
“I can see the way you’re sitting here, you think, ‘What is this bloke talking about? How can that Australian team take on New Zealand? We’ve been fantastic the first two games’.
“And you have been, mate – you’ve been really fantastic. So you haven’t changed, you’re still fans with keyboards. Right? So nothing’s changed.”
Photo: William West/AFP