Australia head coach Eddie Jones insists the pressure is firmly on New Zealand in this weekend's Bledisloe Cup clash, despite the Wallabies' recent winless streak; the teams face off on Saturday July 29, live on Sky Sports Action from 10:35am.
Saturday 29 July 2023 10:31, UK
Australia head coach Eddie Jones insists the pressure is firmly on New Zealand in Saturday's Bledisloe Cup clash, live on Sky Sports Action, despite worrying recent results for the Wallabies.
In spite of his opponents' unbeaten status, the 63-year-old remains adamant that the All Blacks will have their work cut out for them.
"Can we put the Kiwis under pressure on Saturday? Yes, under a lot of pressure, and maybe they're going to get a bit of a surprise," Jones said.
"(I) can see the way you're sitting here thinking, 'What is this bloke talking about?' How can that Australian team take on New Zealand?"
In Jones' world, the answer revolves around a simple concept - his team are not plucky underdogs.
That's at least partly true.
The All Blacks are always wary of the Wallabies and know the history of matches between them well enough to know Australia can be most dangerous when it is least expected to perform.
But evidence of the two rounds of the Rugby Championship so far differs from Jones' theory. The All Blacks went to Mendoza,and thumped Argentina 41-12, and then came home and beat world champions South Africa 35-20 at Eden Park a week later.
They looked polished and confident in both matches, making solid starts and holding out any threatening rallies.
In contrast, Australia lost 43-12 to the Springboks in Johannesburg and suffered a morale-sapping 34-31 defeat to Argentina at home two weeks ago - yet Jones remains bullish.
"There's nothing better than winning against New Zealand because you're feeling the country sinking," he said.
"It's not just rugby that 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 will drop if they lose".
The fact that he's made seven changes to his line-up for Saturday and thrown 22-year-old fly-half Carter Gordon into the fray in his first Test as part of a new half-back pairing suggests he is not entirely sure his team can upset the odds.
Wallabies prop James Slipper, who has played in his fair share of Bledisloe Cup defeats, has a more realistic outlook on how Saturday's game might pan out.
"It's one of those things we're just going to have to understand is part of our history," he said.
"We're trying to build something in terms of staff, coaches, and new players in the squad.
"We've got a new five-eighth (Gordon), he's going to lead us around, he's young, he's from Melbourne, so there's a different landscape to us.
"But in saying that, I won't stand here and say we're the finished product. One thing I am going to say is we're going to work bloody hard to be."
Watch the action unfold on Saturday July 29, live on Sky Sports Action from 10:35am.
