Eddie Jones thought it was a great game:
Jones aims for Origin standard
By Greg Growden
Friday, June 13, 2003
The Wallabies were invigorated by the State of Origin rugby league epic. But what the Australian players witnessed will eventually see their time on the training track becoming more of a torture test.
Wallaby coach Eddie Jones said yesterday Australian rugby could learn a great deal from those involved in the league showpiece as it proved the importance of training harder, working harder, and improving fitness, speed and skill levels.
The big lesson was that Australian rugby players could no longer take short cuts on the training paddock and expect to be a big influence on the international arena.
Jones yesterday stressed that Wallabies had to aspire to being able to play with the same level of intensity, ability and agility as if they were involved in a State of Origin match. He believes the Australian players have the capacity to lift to that level, but it requires overwhelming commitment and a high work ethic.
It may not happen as early as tomorrow night's Test against Wales at Telstra Stadium, but he is hoping for major improvement by World Cup time in October-November.
"It's now so obvious that players have to train at a high level if they want to play well. The old days of being able to train intermittently and play well are finished," Jones said.
"The game is getting too fast, and it will get faster. You only have to look at the State of Origin league game last night. What was impressive with that match was the speed of action, speed of passing and the skill level was just fantastic.
"Ultimately I think we'll end up playing the game like that. And it will be a fantastic game when we do that, because of the added element of rugby's unpredictability."
The crucial ingredient was improving rugby players' endurance and condition.
"The fitness levels in union can certainly be improved," Jones said. " We're trying to do that by making a couple of our training sessions harder than the actual games. That's the way we'll improve the pace we play the game, and the skill levels.
"We can improve our work capacity, that is the big thing. That means we can run faster for longer periods of time. And that has to happen from a young age.
"You just have to look at 15-, 16-, 17-, 18-year-old league players . . . they are far more physically developed than their rugby counterparts, and we need to be working down the same track.
