Bledisloe Cup 2023: Eddie Jones apologises as Wallabies lament loss of star props

After the interval, Australia couldn’t capitalise on a 10-minute period on New Zealand’s line, where their maul misfired. Then, having escaped their end, the Kiwis overran the tiring Wallabies.

Bell, who was Australia’s best, said the team would take heart from the opening stages as they try to stay positive on the road to the World Cup.

“We were doing what we trained all week, but we seemed to go away from it. They’re a quality team, so they capitalised on our mistakes and made us pay,” Bell said.

Centre Samu Kerevi added: “The scoreboard we are disappointed with, and there is no excuse from that. It’s not good enough. But as a group, we see the pieces and the moments in the game where we want this team to go. We know we can do it, we just have to do it for a long period.”

Jones apologised to fans in the post-match press conference and said he was accountable.

“I am so proud of our players, the way they have gone about their work. They work really hard. But we know it’s not good enough. I apologise to all the fans, it’s not good enough. That’s my fault, I take responsibility” he said.

When a journalist referenced the Wallabies’ close loss in Melbourne last year, Jones said: “I don’t think you can use that as a comparison. One thing that’s changed is the coach, so again, you can blame me, mate, if you want to. If you want the headline, ‘The problem is Jones’, use that. I am happy for you to use it, mate.”

The Wallabies have lost three straight games and with games against New Zealand and world No.1 France scheduled for August, things look grim. But Jones said he was still confident the team is making progress and can be a “bloody good team”.

“Where there is life, there is hope,” Jones replied when asked for a message to Wallabies fans. If we went out today and couldn’t play with any cohesion and connection in the first 20, I would put up my hands and say, ‘What’s going on here?’ But I didn’t.

’You can blame me, mate, if you want to. If you want the headline, ‘The problem is Jones’, use that.′

Eddie Jones

“I saw a team that was cohesive and was connected and knew how we wanted to beat New Zealand. But we weren’t quite good enough to convert that pressure to points. Then you get a bit of a whooping and the injuries come. The clock is ticking, but we still have enough time.”

Social media lit up with criticism of Jones after the Wallabies defeat, with many fans arguing the team had gone backwards since Dave Rennie was sacked.

But Bell went into bat for Jones.

“He is a proud Australian, and he is pushing us to get better. And we are getting better, in certain aspects. We just have to replicate that first 20 minutes,” Bell said.

Jones said he was encouraged by the performance of rookie flanker Tom Hooper at No.7, who made 32 tackles in a high-pace game, and said he’d continue to back young No.10 Carter Gordon despite a scratchy performance.

“I think he is the best young ten in Australia, and I have seen Richie Mo’unga play Tests like that. Richie Mo’unga, if you look at his first 45 Tests, he had a bit of up-and-down in them,” Jones said.