2023 Rugby World Cup: Australia coach Eddie Jones snaps at reporters after attack coach

Brad Davis, who held coaching roles at English clubs Bath, Ospreys and London Irish, was named on Eddie Jones’s staff in May and departs after four successive Test defeats with the Wallabies this season

Australia head coach Eddie Jones launched an attack on the media, saying they had dragged the nation’s rugby down with “negativity”, after confirming attack coach Brad Davis had quit his staff ahead of the 2023 Rugby World Cup.

Davis, who held coaching roles at English clubs Bath, Ospreys and London Irish, was named on Jones’ staff in May and departs after four successive Test defeats with the Wallabies this season.

Asked whether it was Davis’ decision to stand down, the former England coach Jones – who has yet to win a Test in his second stint in charge of Australia – said: “Yeah, we had a discussion.”

Jones then lost his patience with questions about his World Cup squad named last week and his shock omissions of long-time captain Michael Hooper and fly-half Quade Cooper.

“I think he’s very upset, mate,” Jones said of Cooper when adding that he had not returned his calls.

“I know you blokes think we can’t do anything (at the World Cup), so don’t ask any questions, boys,” he said. “Just be the pessimists you are. Keep Australian rugby where it’s been, keep it where it’s been.

“Complain about players that don’t get selected. Keep doing about that because it’s fantastic, we love it.”

Australia, currently ranked eighth in the world, are winless in their last four matches, suffering back-to-back defeats against New Zealand following losses to Argentina and South Africa.

Jones, however, said he was “more confident” than ever about Australia’s prospects after a training camp in the tropical north of the country.

“I think we’ve got the right squad now,” he said. “I think we’ve got the right balance of energy and enthusiasm, we’re ready to go.

“None of you guys think we can do any good, so that’s all right. The challenge is for us as a group to show you we can, show ourselves we can.”

Jones also told reporters there was a “potential candidate” ready to replace Davis as attack coach but that it won’t be Scott Wisemantel, who formerly held the reole.

Jones said he had approached Wisemantel, who resigned from the Wallabies in January, but that he was “unavailable”.

Australia begin their Rugby World Cup campaign against Georgia on Saturday September 9 at the Stade de France in Saint Denis, Paris and are also drawn alongside Wales, Fiji and Portugal in Pool C.