Australia must copy New Zealand by facing ‘demons’: former Coach Jones

Tuesday, 22 May 2018 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Sydney (Reuters): Former Wallabies Coach Alan Jones believes Australian rugby has to emulate New Zealand’s centralised approach to the game over the last decade if it is to dig itself out of what he characterised as a “crisis” in the sport.

Jones issued the call to arms against the background of Australia’s Super Rugby teams enduring a 39-match winless streak against New Zealand sides, crowds plummeting and reports of other football codes attacking rugby’s grassroots.

The 75-year-old, who led the Wallabies on their grand slam tour of Europe in 1984, said Australia needed to face their “demons” as New Zealand did after a quarter-final exit at the 2007 World Cup.

“Their predicament may not have been as grave as ours is today, but in the estimate of those in New Zealand who love their rugby, it was as bad as it could get,” Jones, now a radio talk show host, wrote in ‘The Australian.’

“New Zealand Rugby gathered together everyone who mattered (and) they agreed to completely reorder and restructure the management and control of New Zealand rugby’s most vital assets - the players and the coaches, and other support personnel.”

Back-to-back World Cup triumphs in 2011 and 2015, as well as Super Rugby titles for four of the five New Zealand Super Rugby franchises have followed, make it a blueprint that Australia would be foolish not to follow, Jones said.