Former Sharks coaching assistant David Campese believes that the decision to use ex-Wallaby coach Eddie Jones as a consultant to the Bok team in preparation for the World Cup is some sort of pre-tournament joke.
Campese, writing in his Sydney Daily Telegraph column, questioned the decision by the Springboks to make use of Jones’ expertise.
“How Eddie Jones is going to help the Springboks just a few weeks out from the World Cup has me stumped.
“All this talk about him showing the South African backline new running lines and how to utilise decoy runners is surely some sort of pre-tournament joke.
“Boks coach Jake White cannot honestly be planning to revamp the way his guys play the game at this late stage in their preparation.
“For a start, when players come under pressure, they tend to fall back on what they know best.
“When it comes to the South Africans that is direct, hard running and making use of blinding speed on the wings. There is not a lot of subtlety to their approach.
“So for Jake to suggest Eddie has this ability to give them a cutting edge they might have previously lacked smacks of desperation.
“There is also the obvious observation: what precisely does White perceive to be so appealing about the strategies Jones employs?
“After all, the Wallabies lost eight of their last nine games before he was sacked as coach at the end of 2005, and his Queensland team finished last in this year’s Super 14.
“I hardly think those statistics make Jones a must-have addition to your staff,” said the former Wallaby.
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