Wallabies coach Eddie Jones admitted on Saturday that his flailing team were “massive underdogs” against the “red hot” All Blacks next weekend, but said it could work in their favour.
Australia head into the Melbourne Cricket Ground clash in a hole after consecutive Rugby Championship defeats to South Africa and Argentina, leaving the former England boss with back-to-back losses since taking over.
In contrast, New Zealand romped to victory over the Springboks and Pumas, making them heavy favourites to win again as they build up to the World Cup in France.
“In this situation this week we’re massive underdogs,” Jones said on a Zoom call from Australia’s training base in Queensland. “But that creates an opportunity for us.
“We know that if we can put pressure on a team that is red hot favourites, sometimes that pressure can turn into increased pressure on them and stress in the team, and that’s our aim.
“If you look at Australia at the moment, probably no one outside our immediate squad thinks we’ve got a chance of winning, which sometimes can drive a bit more closeness within the team, a bit more purpose about what we’re doing,” he added.
Jones was brought in to replace the axed Dave Rennie this year after the team lost nine of 13 internationals last season.
But it has been a rocky start to his second stint in the job, crashing 34-31 to Argentina on the back of a 43-12 thrashing by world champions South Africa.
He admitted they had fallen short of expectations, but suggested it could prove beneficial for the September-October World Cup, as the “teething problems” had been identified now.
“I’ve got no doubt we’re not as clear about how we want to play as we want to be. The only problem I see with that is we’re not performing as we’d like to perform,” he said.
“But in a build-up to a World Cup these sorts of teething problems are sometimes the best problems to have.
“And sometimes you find out more about your team in these situations than you do when you think things are going along swimmingly. And they’re not getting along swimmingly.”
Jones is still experimenting, trying to determine the best squad to take to the World Cup, with backs Tom Wright and Reece Hodge among those dropped for the All Blacks match.
He noted that the team lacked alignment in defence and attack around the breakdown against Argentina.
“That’s part of the issues we’ve got at the moment,” he said. “It’s an understanding issue -– understanding what we need, what decisions need to be made by the players.”
Co-captain Michael Hooper missed the Pumas match with a calf injury and is racing the clock to be fit.
“Calf injuries, we tend to be more careful with their rehab than other injuries so medical staff are being pretty careful with him,” said the coach.
