Back as Australia coach, Eddie Jones looks to release ‘mongrel dogs’ on the world champ Springboks

In Eddie Jones’ eyes, there is a broad style of rugby he’d like to see his Australia team pursue to get back among the contenders for the World Cup this year.

“Like mongrel dogs running around. That is where we are at our best,” Jones said.

The precise details of Jones’ tactical direction as he starts his second stint as coach of the Wallabies against world champion South Africa on Saturday aren’t clear, though, and the element of surprise is his.

“It is going to be tough for us to prepare for what Australia will bring,” South Africa coach Jacques Nienaber said of the opening-round clash in the Rugby Championship at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria. “We are not sure.”

What is known is Jones’ tendency to make a big impact with the many teams he’s coached on his journey through international rugby that started with Australia 22 years ago.

He took that Australia team to a southern hemisphere title in his first season and the Rugby World Cup final in 2003, nearly upsetting heavily-favored England. He was brought in as a consultant for the Springboks during the 2007 World Cup and gave them a new edge that helped them win a second title.

Jones plotted the downfall of the Springboks as coach of Japan at the 2015 World Cup, one of the biggest shocks in rugby.

England, his last team, outplayed defending champion New Zealand in the World Cup semifinals four years ago, then lost to South Africa in the final.

Jones has embraced all styles along the way, expansive sometimes, conservative at other times.

His take on how to beat South Africa was: “Any way you can, mate. Just get up the other end of the field. Whether you run and pass or kick, it does not matter, as long as you get up there.”

Jones is a man of many approaches himself, often smiling and cracking jokes, as he did once again in the buildup to Saturday. At the same time there’s his reputation for being fierce and confontational behind the scenes, something that reportedly led to a breakdown of his working relationships with players and officials at the end of his time with England last year.

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South Africa director of rugby Rassie Erasmus, who coached the Springboks who beat Jones’ England in the World Cup final four years ago, borrowed from Tom Hanks’ Forrest Gump character when explaining Eddie Jones.

“Like a box of chocolates. You never know what you are going to get,” Erasmus said.

The first team of Jones’ second coming with Australia has a bit of everything, with 35-year-old Quade Cooper back at fylhalf and given another chance to re-establish himself as Wallabies playmaker for the World Cup.

There is also new muscle, with Jones giving blindside flanker Tom Hooper his test debut and winger Suliasi Vunivalu his first start. There are another three youngsters in the reserves and in line for their debuts in prop Zane Nonggorr, lock Richie Arnold and back Carter Gordon.

Jones will also trial co-captains, with prop James Slipper and flanker Michael Hooper sharing the leadership role.

While Jones starts again with Australia, Nienaber enters his final season with the Springboks and hopes to end it by retaining the World Cup.

The Boks have split their squad and sent a group of players to New Zealand to start preparations early for a game against the old rival next Saturday.

Nienaber still has a troop of World Cup winners at his disposal against the Wallabies, although the focus will be on four players who didn’t win the trophy in 2019. Manie Libbok starts at flyhalf for the first time and wingers Kurt-Lee Arendse and Canan Moodie are part of a newlook young backline.

Jean Kleyn, the South Africa-born lock who played test rugby for Ireland, has completed a second nationality switch and will make his second test debut, this time with the Springboks.

South Africa’s biggest asset is its record at Loftus, where it has won all seven of its tests against Australia at the ground dating to 1963.

Jones was reminded that he once coached Australia’s Queensland Reds provincial team to a 92-3 loss at Loftus in Super Rugby in 2007. He took it on the chin and responded as to whether that Aussie record in Pretoria would turn off fans at home, who must get up at about 1 a.m. to watch the game, and have the option of rather tuning in to see Australia beating England in the Ashes cricket series.

“Well, I tell you what we’re going to do, mate,” said Jones. “We’re going to roll our sleeves up and we’re gonna dig in. And if they want to watch that, then I’d stay up. It will be better than the Ashes.”

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