The Japan Times - Jones gambles on 'young blokes' to light up long-shot Wallabies

The wily tactician was recruited in January after being sacked by England to turn around their flailing fortunes under Dave Rennie in time for the sporting showpiece in France.

But five straight defeats -- two to the All Blacks and one apiece against Argentina, World Cup holders South Africa and tournament hosts France -- were not in the playbook.

Former coach John Connolly, who succeeded Jones in 2006 after his first stint in charge, launched an extraordinary tirade after they lost their opening two Tests, calling it "a bloody disaster, mate".

"How did we end up with Eddie again? He is full of it. He talks a great game but plays a terrible one," Connolly told Britain's Daily Telegraph.

"When I took over from Eddie, the players were like beaten down sheepdogs. There was no leadership. There was no development. I can't believe we have made the same mistake again."

Newspaper The Australian also piled on, saying Jones had done "a miraculous job diverting everyone's attention from the train wreck that Australian rugby has become".

"His one-man act has kept rugby in the spotlight all year long, but like all stand-up entertainers, Jones needs some fresh material to keep his audience from dozing off."

Jones appears to have taken note, dumping experienced veterans such as Michael Hooper, Quade Cooper and Jed Holloway and naming the most inexperienced Wallabies World Cup squad in the professional era.

Only eight of them have played in the tournament before.

"I've backed the young blokes because they earned it. Simple as that. I haven't handed it to them. They grabbed it," said Jones.

"The experts have written us off. No one believes we can do it, but we believe. The coaches believe, the players believe and that's all that matters."

Among the slew of up-and-coming youngsters are Carter Gordon and Tate McDermott as his half-back pairing with Cooper dumped and fellow veteran Nic White seemingly relegated to finishing scrum-half.

With Michael Hooper out, Jones opted for a youthful back row of Tom Hooper, Fraser McReight and Rob Valetini.

He also handed a call-up to 18-year-old utility back Max Jorgensen as he looks to usher in generational change.

- Working hard -

"Four losses are four losses," admitted Jones after the second New Zealand defeat. "Are we making progress? Sometimes the result sheet doesn't reflect what you're accurately doing."

After three heavy defeats, that narrow 23-20 All Blacks loss in Dunedin this month -- their best performance so far under Jones -- gave former captain Stirling Mortlock reason to think results will turn around.

"I have been a lot more positive and optimistic than a lot of other people that I've been speaking to in and around the game," Mortlock, who was part of Jones's team that surged to the 2003 World Cup final, told reporters.

"I have been to both the home matches that we've had and I've seen improvements from every Test match. Although we've lost all four, there's certain aspects of our game where I've seen definitive improvements."

Mortlock said one worry was their fitness. But in a group tilted in their favour -- also featuring Georgia, Wales, Fiji and Portugal -- it could give the young side time to build momentum.

"In World Cups, it's all about maximising your chances of taking momentum into the sudden-death matches, and that will certainly be the focus for the Wallabies," he said.

Some of that positivity may have dissipated, however, in the aftermath of a 41-17 humbling by hosts France in Paris when the youngsters were shown up for the rookies they are.

The Wallabies will need to sharpen up before their opener against Georgia on September 9 although the biggest tests will come in the shape of Wales and a Fiji team that turned over England at Twickenham.

Jones has his work cut out if Australia are to leave their mark in France.

H.Takahashi--JT