RugbyRebels

cashead wrote: ↑Mon Oct 30, 2023 10:02 pm When you look at Eddie's legacy with the Wallabies, it's basically one of experimentation when he shouldn't have, and failing. Fundamentally, brute-forcing a new generation through was something he should've started on after the world cup. Who knows if they'd have beaten a revitalised Welsh side (who also had to do a big ol' generational switch - although as I recall, it wasn't something that happened to Gatland, rather than him doing it intentionally), but they wouldn't have been embarrassed to the extent that they were.

1. The change-up to the newbies should've been a 2024 project. Take a core of new boiz to the World Cup, and once the oldies are put out to pasture one by one, you'll have that core of Wallaboiz to build around.

2. He needs someone to help him select his players. Alternatively, someone get him a Mary Worth phone, especially when he's about to give Suliasi Vunivalu a call. Her stern but sensible face will remind him never to do anything so stupid again.

Puja wrote: ↑Mon Oct 30, 2023 10:44 pm

cashead wrote: ↑Mon Oct 30, 2023 10:02 pm When you look at Eddie's legacy with the Wallabies, it's basically one of experimentation when he shouldn't have, and failing. Fundamentally, brute-forcing a new generation through was something he should've started on after the world cup. Who knows if they'd have beaten a revitalised Welsh side (who also had to do a big ol' generational switch - although as I recall, it wasn't something that happened to Gatland, rather than him doing it intentionally), but they wouldn't have been embarrassed to the extent that they were.

1. The change-up to the newbies should've been a 2024 project. Take a core of new boiz to the World Cup, and once the oldies are put out to pasture one by one, you'll have that core of Wallaboiz to build around.

2. He needs someone to help him select his players. Alternatively, someone get him a Mary Worth phone, especially when he's about to give Suliasi Vunivalu a call. Her stern but sensible face will remind him never to do anything so stupid again.

What gets me is that he could absolutely have had his new generation being forced through and still got through, just with the addition of Hooper and Cooper. Probably still would've got clumped by the Welsh, but Fiji were nervous enough that being able to bring Cooper off the bench to cover Gordon's collapse, or even just having the option to have Hooper bring the boys around at half time, would probably have been enough to swing it.

Instead, he appeared to decide to drop them just to demonstrate that he was in charge and ChangesWereHappeningTM.

Puja

Sandydragon wrote: ↑Wed Jan 03, 2024 8:22 am Japan used to be the second favourite team so many supporters who liked their flair and approach to the game. I can’t see jones making them better, the big question is whether he can make them so bad that they fade into obscurity again. One can only hope not and that the Japanese RFU move him on before he causes too much damage.

Puja wrote: ↑Wed Jan 03, 2024 10:33 amJones was the instigator of that though. Regardless of all else, he was the one that got the swashbuckling style to actually result in a functional team, and kick started them with that win over SA.