Under-fire Wallabies coach Eddie Jones has explained his decision to leave Michael Hooper at home for the Rugby World Cup, claiming he was not “the right role model” for the team.
Hooper, a 125-game veteran for the Wallabies, was a glaring omission from the team that jetted to France along with Quade Cooper and Bernard Foley.
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Instead, Jones opted to name a youthful albeit inexperienced squad for the World Cup, with just seven of the 33 players aged 30 or above.
However, Jones’ gamble on youth backfired as the Wallabies were bundled out at the first stage of the tournament for the first time ever.
It left many wondering whether the veteran presence of someone like Cooper, Foley or Hooper would have been useful to provide a cool head when times inevitably got tough.
Yet Jones stood his ground when he revealed why the likes of Hooper were not taken along for the journey.
“The situation reminded me of when Wayne Bennett let Wally Lewis go,” Jones told The Sydney Morning Herald.
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“No-one could quite understand why, but Wally Lewis wasn’t a great role model for the rest of the team.
“And for those guys, I don’t think they were the right role models for the team going forward.
“Don’t get me wrong. They’re not bad guys.
“But you need guys – particularly when you’ve got a team like Australia has at the moment – you need guys who are obsessed with winning, obsessed with being good, and those three are past those stages.”
When further pressed why he lumped Hooper — who had captained the Wallabies for several years — into the category of not being a great role model, Jones doubled down.
“I stand by it, 100 per cent,” Jones said.
“He is a great guy but the timing is not right for him.”
Jones’ comments will make it an incredibly awkward atmosphere between the pair given they will both be involved in the Barbarians’ game against Wales on November 4.
Hooper is one of five Aussies set to take part in the game alongside Taniela Tupou, Rob Leota, Angus Bell and Rob Valentini.
As for Jones, he will jet into the Barbarians camp to help coach Scott Robertson, who is set to take over as All Blacks coach from Ian Foster in 2024.
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