- Allan Alaalatoa has lifted the lid on Eddie Jones’ tenure
- The Wallabies had a disastrous World Cup campaign
- He says that some players feel ‘anger’ towards the coach
Australian star Allan Alaalatoa admits Wallabies stars are feeling “anger” towards Eddie Jones for leaving the team after their failed Rugby World Cup campaign.
Alaalatoa, appointed captain by Jones during his brief spell in charge, was unavailable for the tournament in France in which the Wallabies were eliminated in the group stage.
The 30-year-old has remained close to the team throughout the campaign and has lifted the lid on the team’s feelings towards Jones, who left the Wallabies and signed for Japan.
“There are some guys who are frustrated with how everything played out and how he did things,” Alaalatoa told reporters at a promotional event for Stan’s behind-the-scenes documentary ‘The Wallabies – Inside Rugby World Cup 2023’.
‘There’s probably a bit of anger there too. There are also guys who are grateful. He took a chance on a lot of youngsters who at the start of the year thought they had no chance of playing for the Wallabies. There’s definitely a mixed range of emotions…
Allan Alaalatoa (left) says players feel “anger” towards former coach Eddie Jones
Jones left the Wallabies after their disastrous World Cup campaign.
“The assumption was that (the ties to Japan) were just rumors and that nothing was happening and that he was definitely going to pursue this with us, you know.”
Allalatoa was among a group of six players who captained the team during Jones’ reign, in which he attempted to radically change the age of the team and promote younger stars.
He believes Jones tried to change “too much” in a short time.
“When you think about all this, when you reflect and review the year… I think there were probably too many changes and as players we probably couldn’t keep up,” he said.
“We probably weren’t in tune with the way we wanted to play, and it took us a lot of games to try to figure it out. Just looking from a review point of view and from the outside, there were probably too many changes in a short period of time… See from home was probably what hurt me the most.
Wallabies fans will get an insight into Jones’ disastrous tenure when Stan Sports’ new three-part documentary series premieres on Thursday.
“It’s good that they (Stan) were not only with us at the World Cup, but they were with us throughout the preparation,” Alaalatoa said.
‘It’s going to be exciting to give the fans that perspective.
“I think a lot of people will want to look at the year and obviously see why it ended the way it ended… I just wanted to give my authentic self. I thought it was good to show the fans the other side of this: not just the rugby players, But we have a life outside of football and experiencing what we have off the field is also special.
“I thought it was great and I know Stan documented it excellently.”
Stan’s The Wallabies – Inside Rugby World Cup 2023 will be available to watch in Australia from February 22.