Jones bemoans worst ever Wallabies injury list

Australia coach Eddie Jones admitted on Monday that the mounting injury toll among the Wallabies was the worst he had ever known.

Jones has now been forced to select 35 players for this international campaign after promising rookie back Adam Ashley-Cooper made his run-on debut against the Springboks in Perth on Saturday.

Ashley-Cooper, a 22-year-old who plays for the Brumbies in Super 12, became the 800th Wallaby when he took to the field at the Subiaco Oval with two minutes left on the clock.

“We have had a freak run with injuries,” Jones said on Monday. "It’s the sort of injury toll that hits every four or five years but there’s little control over it – you just have to get on with the job and don’t panic.”

Jones said he was unsure who of the injured would be fit for the final Tri-Nations match of the season in Auckland on Saturday week.

Australia are facing a Tri-Nations whitewash having lost their previous three matches in the series and their last four Tests.

They also have not won at Auckland’s Eden Park in 19 years.

And the embattled Wallaby coach could face further bad news later this week when star fly-half Elton Flatley visits a Melbourne specialist amid fears he may have to retire.

Flatley was withdrawn from the Wallabies side 10 minutes before the Test against South Africa after complaining of blurred vision out of his left eye.

After a two-season history of head knocks and concussions, and a clearance only two months ago from a leading neurosurgeon, Flatley’s latest scare has left a cloud over his future.

Jones added: “It’s a great concern. The first thing you worry about is the player’s health. And Elton is not only a great player, he’s a great little bloke. I’ve never seen a bloke so despondent."