Eddie Jones’ RWC squad includes a large number of young, inexperienced Wallabies who have been charged by the Director of Rugby to compete in France.
The squad, which has 25 players with zero Rugby World Cup experience, heads to France in the wake of four straight losses, and will be hoping to prove teams wrong and ‘pull some surprises’ in the competition. Wallabies are drawn in pool C, and will battle it out against Wales, Fiji, Georgia, and Portugal.
With recent results going against his team, the emphasis has shifted towards development. Unashamedly, Jones expressed his objective by saying “I’ve backed the young blokes because they earned it. Simple as that. I haven’t handed it to them. They grabbed it. It’s exciting for me to go to work each day with these guys who are just busting to improve, to learn, and to get better. They want to succeed, and they will succeed, and that excitement is rubbing off on everyone. We’re in a good place.”
Jones settled on European club champion Will Skelton to captain the side, with the absence of Allan Alaalatoa and Michael Hooper [both due to injury]. The 28-capped lock will be assisted by Tate McDermott (25 caps), who will be acting as the vice-captain.
🇦🇺 Eddie Jones has named Will Skelton as his Wallabies captain for #RWC2023 with Michael Hooper and Quade Cooper missing out. pic.twitter.com/tRNmbhWfqK
— Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) August 10, 2023
The squad fly north on Thursday for warm-up games, prior to the tournament start on September 8.
Eddie Jones’ RWC squad – Notable omissions
There was a shock wave after the announcement, with a notable number of players who had been left out of Wallabies coach Eddie Jones’ RWC squad. Quade Cooper, Michael Hooper, and Len Ikitau; who were highly expected to feature for the side, have all been left out.
Hooper – who was the youngest ever captain and is the third most-capped Wallabies player (125 caps), started against the Springboks last month – picked up a calf injury during training ahead of the Los Puma’s game. He was sidelined for the three following games, with the hope of recovering fully for the tournament. Jones decided not to take the chance, even factoring in Hooper’s immense experience as a two-time Rugby World Cup representative.
“Michael Hooper has a serious injury and when you have got a serious injury, there are deadlines, and we need to find out the deadline on it,” Jones said. “I’m not here to talk about players we haven’t selected, Jones said. I said we haven’t picked Michael. He could be fit for the French game. We don’t know. When you have got a calf injury, sometimes you don’t know how quickly you can recover.”
Hooper played in both the 2015 and 2019 World Cup tournaments, where he captained the Wallabies at the latter, and he was likely to be given the captain’s armband, considering Allan Alaalatoa’s season-ending injury in Melbourne. With a view to the longterm, Jones has suggested he is ‘going forward’ with his selections.
“We’ve gone for a younger guy in Donaldson,” Jones said on Stan Sport (see video link below). “We feel that’s our best option going forward. Quade’s come back from a serious Achilles tendon. He’s probably not as sharp as he’d like to be. He could still feature in the World Cup further down the track.”
Centre Ikitau has also been left out of Eddie Jones RWC squad due to a shoulder injury, despite being only two to three weeks away from a return to the field. Reaction has been mixed, with some praise, while many more have asked ‘why would you go to France with such inexperienced players?’
I’m all for focussing on the future…. But World Cups are about the now!
France is 4 weeks away….now is a time for experience and proven world class – and two of them are staying at home.
As a rugby fan I know I’m not alone in saying these two special players will be missed at… pic.twitter.com/7qtHMA091t— Sonny Bill Williams (@SonnyBWilliams) August 10, 2023
Eddie Jones’ statement on number of young inexperienced Wallabies
Eddie Jones has selected 25 debutants who will be keen to showcase their skillset in the grandest stage of their careers. Jones has high hopes for the squad to ‘outdo themselves’ and surprise many. “It’s a young squad, it’s an exciting squad and it will be a successful squad. We are making good progress. Our challenge is to continue to improve. To get a little bit better every day in everything we do on and off the field.
“As I’ve said since I took over, in Australian rugby we have the talent, but we don’t yet have the team. That’s still the case. But we are getting there and I’m backing that we will surprise a few people,” Jones said with a wry smile that rugby fans worldwide recognize.
Watch Eddie Jones’ RWC squad announcement for 2023 Rugby World Cup here.
With his RWC experience; first in 2003 as head coach, then an assistant with title-winning Springboks in 2007, followed by roles in Japanese club rugby that culminated in his successful term with Japan – including the 2015 tournament. He then helped England to feature in the 2019 Cup final, so as a manager and mentor, his prowess is undeniable. Yet taking such a vastly inexperienced group to this year’s event will be daunting – even counting on men like Skelton and James Slipper.
All together. Plenty of growth as a team throughout the eToro Rugby Championship as we keep building as a group.
Thanks for all the support.#Wallabies pic.twitter.com/AxQPxmzSBe
— Wallabies (@wallabies) August 5, 2023
New skipper Will Skelton is also under the microscope, and his leadership style is untested. Skelton’s inclusion in the Wallabies 2015 Rugby World Cup squad was cut short after he sustained a shoulder injury during the tournament. After a long absence from the national team, his elevation will bring new responsibilities. He told RugbyAU.com “I always just try and be myself.
“When I got this role, I never wanted to change and I believe in this first week I haven’t done that. I’ve tried to be who I am and stick to that.”
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Meet the 2023 Australian Wallabies squad
Player name (Age, Professional franchise/Club, Test caps)
Props (6)
Angus Bell (22, NSW Waratahs/Hunters Hill Rugby Club, 23 Tests)*
Pone Fa’amausili (26, Melbourne Rebels/Moorabbin Rams, 5 Tests) *
Zane Nonggorr (22, Queensland Reds/Gold Coast Eagles, 2 Tests)*
Blake Schoupp (23, ACT Brumbies/Woonona Shamrocks, uncapped)*
James Slipper (34, ACT Brumbies/Bond Pirates, 131 Tests)
Taniela Tupou (27, Queensland Reds/Brothers Rugby Club, 48 Tests)
Hookers (3)
Matt Faessler (24, Queensland Reds/USQ Saints, 1 Test)*
David Porecki (30, NSW Waratahs/Seaforth Raiders, 14 Tests)*
Jordan Uelese (26, Melbourne Rebels/Eltham Rugby Club, 18 Tests)
Locks (4)
Richie Arnold (33, Stade Toulousain/Gentlemen of Murwillumbah, 4 Tests)*
Nick Frost (23, ACT Brumbies/Hornsby Lions, 12 Tests) *
Matt Philip (29, Melbourne Rebels/Newport Juniors, 28 Tests)*
Will Skelton – Captain (31, La Rochelle/Wentworth Magpies, 28 Tests)
Back Row (5)
Langi Gleeson (22, NSW Waratahs/Harbord Harlequins, 3 Tests)*
Tom Hooper (22, ACT Brumbies/Bathurst Bulldogs, 3 Tests)*
Rob Leota (26, Melbourne Rebels/Northern Panthers, 16 Tests)*
Fraser McReight (24, Queensland Reds/Albany Creek Brumbies, 12 Tests)*
Rob Valetini (24, ACT Brumbies/Melbourne Harlequins, 34 Tests)*
Scrumhalves (3)
Issak Fines-Leleiwasa (27, Western Force/Port Douglas Reef Raiders, uncapped)*
Tate McDermott (vc) (24, Queensland Reds/Flinders Rugby Club, 25 Tests)*
Nic White (33, ACT Brumbies/Muswellbrook Healers, 63 Tests)
Flyhalf (1)
Carter Gordon (22, Melbourne Rebels/Sunshine Coast Grammar School, 4 Tests)*
Centres (4)
Lalakai Foketi (28, NSW Waratahs/Manly Roos, 5 Tests)*
Samu Kerevi (29, Urayasu D-Rocks/Souths Magpies, 45 Tests)
Izaia Perese (26, NSW Waratahs/Easts Tigers, 5 Tests)*
Jordan Petaia (23, Queensland Reds/Wests Rugby Club, 27 Tests)
Outside Backs (5)
Max Jorgensen (18, NSW Waratahs/Balmain Wolves, uncapped)*
Andrew Kellaway (27, Melbourne Rebels/Hunters Hill Rugby Club, 23 Tests)*
Marika Koroibete (31, Saitama Wild Knights/Nasinu Secondary School, 55 Tests)
Mark Nawaqanitawase (22, NSW Waratahs/Wests Juniors, 6 Tests)*
Suliasi Vunivalu (27, Queensland Reds/Saint Kentigern College, 2 Tests)*
Utility (2)
Ben Donaldson (23, NSW Waratahs/Clovelly Eagles, 2 Tests)*
Josh Kemeny (24, Melbourne Rebels/Easts Rugby Club, 1 Test)*
*World cup debutants. Squad courtesy of RugbyAustralia.com.au site.
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“Main photo credit Belinda Lester, FlickR”
