Jones sees final as just a stepping stone

AUSTRALIA coach Eddie Jones insisted yesterday that Saturday’s World Cup final against England was just another stepping stone in the Wallabies’ development.

Rugby union, normally relegated behind league and Aussie Rules in the pecking order, has suddenly become the number one sport in Australia. Everyone is talking about it, merchandise is flying off the shelves and the Wallabies are the biggest thing in town.

But so acute is Jones's drive for perfection that he remains unswayed by the buzz.

A first win in four attempts against the old enemy would be sweet but it would do little to satisfy the insatiable appetite of the man, a self-confessed workaholic.

"Regardless of Saturday, Monday we start preparing for next season," Jones said at Camp Wallaby in Coffs Harbour. "I am no more excited now than I was last week. To me, you just get on with enjoying the job. I am keen to continue. Our side hasn't anywhere near reached its potential and we have a chance on Saturday to go another step.

"The excitement for me is that we can play better."

Can that really be? Can a World Cup final really just be a stepping stone to something greater? Should it not be the pinnacle?

Former All Blacks coach John Hart is of the opinion that too much credence is placed on results at a World Cup.

He believes the true assessment of a side's quality can only be made over the longer term, which is why he urged the New Zealand Rugby Union to stick by John Mitchell.

And Jones agrees. For him it is test match rugby as a whole that must be respected, not just the World Cup.

For the development of this side, the long-term view is the only one which counts now Australia have achieved their pre-tournament goal of remaining in the world's top three.

Jones inherited the finest side in the world from Rod MacQueen in 2001, but knew he was in for a rough ride.

Two years ago, the wall in the Coffs Harbour airport read: "Home of the Wallabies, Tri-nations champions, Bledisloe Cup holders and world champions".

Now there is a big gap in the middle where the decorator has had to paint over the first two accolades after New Zealand reclaimed both.

"We knew we had to go through stages of development. Sometimes you have to hit the bottom before you can reach the top," said Jones.

That development is illustrated in the probable first team for Saturday's final. Only captain George Gregan and fly-half Stephen Larkham survive from the championship-winning team in 1999.

"It's exciting for us. Most of our players are in the ascending stage of their career, they are moving up to the peak," he said.

"We are not satisfied with what we have done this year. There is great potential with this group of players and if they continue to develop their rugby we will have a pretty good side.

"One of the things when you coach, one of your major jobs is to minimise troughs.

"When I came into the job, I knew we were going to have some tough times because we were going through a transition in personnel and playing style.

"What we have managed to do to some degree and we certainly could have done it better is minimise that trough.

"We are going into the next cycle now. We have some good young players coming through."