EDDIE JONES TOLD a journalist “You don’t have to be a smart arse, mate,” in a testy exchange after Australia’s Rugby Championship hammering in South Africa.

Jones said he endured “a long day at the office” after a disastrous start to his second stint in charge of the Wallabies, with Australian media blasting the 43-12 defeat as an “embarrassment”.

Post-match, he was asked about comments he made earlier in the week in which he described the Springboks side — resting a number of first-choice players — as “half baked”.

Journalist: “Eddie, you expressed your disappointment during the week that you weren’t playing the first-choice Springboks side. Has that changed to a bit of relief now?”

Jones: “No… I’ll tell you what you are good at, mate. South Africans are good at winning. So you don’t have to be a smart arse, mate.”

He later added: “We were well and truly beaten by a Springboks side that old mate here is calling the B team. I never knew there was a Springboks side that was called the B team, but now we have a new term. We weren’t good enough.”

And as he left the room, Jones reiterated, “You don’t have to be a smart arse, mate.”

Australian media were unsparing in their assessment of the Wallabies’ performance, with The Australian newspaper calling it “an embarrassment” that “can’t be repeated”.

“Even before the mismatch, Jones’ choices against the Springboks left plenty of long-suffering Wallabies’ fans wondering what he was thinking,” the broadsheet said.

“Wholesale changes need to be made before next weekend’s clash against Argentina in Sydney because nothing wakes players up from a slumber than being dropped.”

The Sydney Morning Herald was equally scathing.

“We allowed ourselves to believe in an Eddie miracle. The Wallabies’ reality is more sobering,” it said.

“In the end, the Wallabies’ performance in Pretoria showed no real sign of progress from the (Dave) Rennie years -– particularly the discipline -– and in several areas, the Australian side even regressed.”

– © AFP 2023