John Connolly blasts ‘charlatan’ Eddie Jones and claims Australia stars ‘were like beaten down sheepdogs’ when he replaced him in 2006
Eddie Jones has been labelled a ‘charlatan’ in an extraordinary rant by his former successor.
John Connolly succeeded Jones when the outspoken rugby coach left his post as Wallabies coach in 2006, having guided the Aussies over a four-year spell.
Jones went on to coach the Japanese and English national teams before making a return to the Wallabies earlier this year, but after losing to South Africa and Argentina in his first two games in charge, Connolly fears the appointment is a backwards step.
‘How did we end up with Eddie again? He is full of it. He talks a great game but plays a terrible one,’ Connolly, who labelled the comeback a ‘bloody disaster’, told the Telegraph.
‘He is a charlatan, he is a failed selector. He was the captain’s pick by the chairman who just came into the job.
Eddie Jones has been labelled a ‘charlatan’ by his former successor at the Wallabies
![It has been claimed that Jones left his old Wallabies players 'like beaten down sheepdogs'](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/07/29/08/73745153-12351297-image-a-2_1690615944539.jpg)
It has been claimed that Jones left his old Wallabies players ‘like beaten down sheepdogs’
‘When I took over from Eddie, the players were like beaten down sheepdogs. If you walked in a room they would have their heads down and were scared to do anything.
‘There was no leadership. There was no development. It was a total void that took nearly a year to rebuild. I can’t believe we have made the same mistake again.’
New Zealand are expected to give the Wallabies a pasting in the Bledisloe Cup on Saturday night, but a bullish Jones believes his players can spring an upset on the All Blacks.
‘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?’
![John Connolly replaced Jones in 2006 and says his return is a backwards step for the Wallabies](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/07/29/08/73745173-12351297-image-a-4_1690616169571.jpg)
John Connolly replaced Jones in 2006 and says his return is a backwards step for the Wallabies
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