Your rugby morning headlines for Friday, July 22.
Jones 'wounded' by traitor sledge
England boss Eddie Jones is not interested in returning to Australia when his time is up at Twickenham.
That's according to Aussie news outlet The Sydney Morning Herald, who report that Jones was 'wounded' by the abuse he received from home fans during England's successful 2-1 tour of his homeland this month.
The Herald also say that Jones was surprised by the diminishing profile of the sport in Australia.
Their piece reads: "Sources close to Jones said the former Wallabies coach is disenchanted with Australian rugby and was wounded by the ‘traitor’ sledges at the SCG – and broader crowd abuse – when on tour with England this month. He was also stunned by the diminished public profile of rugby in Australia, even since his last tour in 2016.
"There is always a danger in asserting anything as definitive when it comes to Jones, who is a master tactician. And there has long been a theory that Jones is keen to give the Wallabies job one last crack, after being sacked in 2005."
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All Blacks' move for Mooar branded 'laughable'
The reaction to New Zealand's series defeat to Ireland has been ugly, made worse by head coach Ian Foster's traditional Sunday morning press conference being cancelled.
The All Blacks finally fronted up in the media overnight but not before things had turned sour.
In a comment piece for the New Zeland Herald, writer Jamie Wall summed up the situation, concluding that the current structure around the first team is 'completely unsustainable'.
He also took aim at the appointment of former Scarlets coach Brad Mooar, who was poached by the All Blacks after one season in Llanelli.
Wall wrote: "Enough has been said about Ian Foster, mainly because it's just a louder rendition of what was being said before. The same goes for his coaching staff.
"John Plumtree's calls for more physicality from the All Black forwards has become a running joke, the circumstances around how NZ Rugby paid out Welsh club Scarlets to get Brad Mooar out of his contract is now even more laughable, while Andrew Strawbridge's addition to the coaching team hasn't added anything. Anything good, anyway.
"But it doesn't stop there. What exactly has mental skills coach Gilbert Enoka been doing for the last three seasons to justify ongoing employment?"
England 'highly regard' potential Eddie Jones replacement
English rugby boss Bill Sweeney has admitted they hold current Ireland boss Andy Farrell in high regard.
Farrell's stock has soard after he guided Ireland to a historic series victory in New Zealand this summer. Though Eddie Jones eased pressure on himself by helping England come back to win in Australia, he is still due to leave his post after the Rugby World Cup in 2023.
That is also when Farrell's contract with the IRFU expires and England have been fluttering their eyelashes in his direction.
“He’s doing well, isn’t he?" Said Sweeney. “A couple of years ago, he wasn’t doing so well and there was a lot of pressure around him at the time.
“I think it was only two years ago where there were calls to get rid of Andy Farrell, Mike Catt (his assistant), that whole group. But they’ve come through that and they’re doing very well.
“He’s regarded very highly but we also have a huge respect for the Irish Rugby Football Union. He’s under contract through to ’23 and then whatever happens after ’23, happens after ’23.”
Springbok has 'career-defining' series against Wales
South Africa star Damian Willemse has been earning high praise for his output against Wales this summer.
The playmaker is a useful weapon in the arsenal, able to pop up at full-back, fly-half and inside centre. He also booted his side to victory in the dramatic series opener at Loftus Versfeld.
He is mentioned in the same breath as Frans Steyn, a figure who has carved out a fine Test career, operating in a number of positions.
The South African have him as the top performer over the last few weeks, saying: "The talented youngster has truly come of age over the last year. Whether at fullback, centre or flyhalf, Willemse just looks increasingly comfortable and confident at Test level.
"On Saturday night, he claimed some incredible catches from contestable kicks, and made a big impact on defence and as a ball carrier – even playing through the pain after picking up what appeared to be a problematic ankle injury.
"Very quickly, Willemse can quite rightly be viewed as an integral member of this Springboks starting lineup, while this series against Wales could well turn out to be a career-defining one."
Read next:
- Graham Price pinpoints Wales' biggest problem and how it hinders' world class talent' in team
- Rugby's real World XV right now amid seismic shift in the great north-south divide
- When Wales' best rugby players will play for their clubs again as every man's South Africa workload revealed
- Wales' new pecking order as stars put their hands up for World Cup spots
- Red cards, yellow cards, citings and confusion - rugby on a precipice after summer controversies
- Wales' best team going forward and the forgotten man who could blow World Cup selection apart
