SAINT ETIENNE, France : Australia's calamitous World Cup campaign is not just down to Eddie Jones and it would be unfair if he alone took the blame for the Wallabies failing to reach the knockout stages, assistant coach Neal Hatley said on Saturday.
Fiji made that scenario all but certain by rallying to beat Georgia 17-12 in Bordeaux on Saturday, leaving Australian hopes of progressing hanging by a thread ahead of their final Pool C game against Portugal on Sunday.
Jones has received huge criticism since the Wallabies lost to Fiji and Wales in Pool C and on Friday said he would be prepared to be the fall guy if Rugby Australia needed one. "That's always on a head coach isn't it?," Hatley, who also worked with Jones in the England set-up, told reporters. "I heard what he said but everyone's responsible.
There's leaders within the team, the rest of the coaching staff are responsible alongside Eddie, never just one man. "That's Eddie being Eddie, he's immensely proud and passionate about coaching Australia.