Eddie Jones and his Wallabies have ridden once more within the guise of the Barbarians – however, alas, the outcome was simply the identical for rugby’s favorite pantomime villain.
5 days after quitting as Australia coach amid a uncommon previous tumult, Jones was again to supervise 10 of his former Wallabies within the well-known invitation aspect on Saturday (Sunday AEDT) to play Wales in Cardiff however ended up presiding over a 49-26 defeat.
There was a crescendo of boos from the 53,271 crowd every time Jones’s face appeared on the massive display screen within the Principality Stadium, which appeared to provide a misinform the remark from his spouse earlier within the week that “the Welsh individuals are good to you, aren’t they?”
In the end, simply as six weeks in the past when the Welsh crushed Australian World Cup desires in Lyon with a 40-6 drubbing, Warren Gatland once more trumped his previous sparring associate Jones, albeit in a really completely different cavalier, 11-try exhibition affair.
In fact, Jones most likely bought extra out of his hastily-assembled aspect, who confirmed loads of the famed Baa-baas’ attacking model, than what he squeezed from Australia in France.
And, satirically, his black-and-white hooped Wallabies actually shone, with the superb Tom Hooper scoring certainly one of their 4 tries, alternative prop Angus Bell’s rampaging run main to a different and Rob Valetini thundering round to nice impact.
Taniela Tupou was fabulous on the rampage each early and late, whereas lacking a big chunk of the sport with an damage he finally shook off.
But the day belonged to Baa-baas captain Alun Wyn Jones, the Welsh large making his worldwide farewell towards the workforce he captained with such distinction.
The world report cap holder even bowed out with a attempt, as the gang rose to him and two different departing Welsh heroes, Leigh Halfpenny, who kicked all 5 of his conversions for Wales, and Justin Tipuric, who foraged splendidly for the Baa Baas.
“I need to thank the gang, the individuals who’ve been coming right here for 18 years and spend their hard-earned cash to look at Wales by means of the nice occasions and the dangerous,” stated Jones, smiling that the man-of-the-match award was “a little bit of tokenism” however he’d settle for it gracefully anyway.
Jac Morgan is tackled by Izaia Perese. (Picture by Ian Prepare dinner – CameraSport through Getty Photos)
And with a nod to his previous Australian rival, he added: “It’s a bit surreal – I don’t know what was more odd, enjoying with Michael Hooper or enjoying towards Wales!”
Coach Jones had insisted his aspect, that includes eight of his World Cup squad, plus the discarded Michael Hooper and Len Ikitau, weren’t out for “revenge”.
As an alternative, he had shut out all of the furore surrounding his controversial Wallabies’ departure and reckoned he was trying ahead to a fixture that was only a “celebration of rugby”.
He bought what he needed, with each side throwing the ball round with uncommon abandon, chucking loads of outlandish offloads, because the Welsh scored seven tries – two from Kieran Hardy plus others from Dewi Lake, Tom Rogers, Sam Costelow, Taine Plumtree and Aaron Wainwright.
The Baa Baas settled for scores from Hooper, Jones and a double from Fijian halfback Simione Kuruvoli.
Any feelgood, although, was marred by the pre-match information that one of many Barbarians, Fijian lock Api Ratuniyarawa, had been withdrawn from the squad after showing in courtroom in Cardiff simply hours earlier than on sexual assault prices.
Ratuniyarawa denied the alleged offences that had been stated in courtroom to have occurred at a Cardiff metropolis centre nightclub earlier within the week when he was on an evening out with the workforce.
The sensitivity surrounding the episode prompted Jones and the Barbarians to not stage their regular post-match press convention.
© AAP
