Rugby Australia chief Phil Waugh backs Wallabies coach Eddie Jones

The coach returned to the job amid a wave of optimism in January, declaring his intention to return Australia to its former glory and pull off a "smash and grab" mission to win the World Cup.

The first steps, however, have not gone to plan. The Wallabies were outplayed by South Africa in Pretoria, losing 43-12 before they were stunned by Argentina 34-31 in Sydney a fortnight ago.

The side now has just three games before the World Cup and an 0-5 record heading into the tournament looms as a realistic proposition.

Australia will host the All Blacks at the MCG on Saturday before a return bout in Dunedin next week. From there, Jones will name his final World Cup squad and they will play France in their last pre-tournament tune up.

The Wallabies have slipped to eighth on the world rankings and the immediate turnaround many had hoped under Jones has not eventuated as planned.

Waugh urged patience and said the coach shouldn't be judged by what he does in his first year in charge, but the full body of work over a five-year contract taking in a British and Irish Lions tour and a home World Cup.

"Eddie's rebuilding a team and a culture that we're setting up for the World Cup in a couple of months' time and into 2025 and 27," Waugh said. "We've got a lot of work to do as an organisation and a game across the system so we provide more competition for spots across the Wallabies team.

"That work goes into pathways, retention and acquisition of talent. We're all in this together in terms of the systems. There's a long game and not a short game so there's no pressure on Eddie on Saturday's result. The pressure's on us to provide a better system for the rugby ecosystem."

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While the Wallabies have struggled this year, optimism remains about their prospects at the World Cup.

The side has been gifted a dream run through the tournament and face a clear path to the semi-finals.

Australia has been grouped with Wales, Fiji, Georgia and Portugal. The clash with Wales looms as crucial to their hopes of lifting the Webb Ellis Cup.

The Wallabies task echoes 2015, many writing the team off when Michael Cheika was installed 12 months out from the tournament.

The coach sent an urgent SOS to Matt Giteau and Drew Mitchell, the duo's selection the genesis of the Giteau Law subsequent coaches have utilised.

Jones handed Giteau his Test debut in 2002 and he backed the coach to turn things around.

"Eddie Jones has a plan," Giteau said. "Obviously the results aren't what you want, you want to win but unless you're in the inner sanctum, you don't know exactly what they're testing out.

"Until the World Cup's over, that's when you judge where they're at.

"In 2015 we weren't favoured to win the tournament, which we didn't but we made it all the way to the final. The critical thing with the World Cup is if you get on a roll and get momentum you start to build a habit of winning."

Given the draw, Australian fans have high expectations for the World Cup.

Many view a semi-final appearance as a pass mark, with anything extra a success. Waugh, however, declined to provide a firm measure of success or failure.

"Playing with an Australian spirit that all of Australia could be proud of is the starting position," he said. "We've seen in World Cups, one or two calls go against you, you lose a knockout game and that's the end of the tournament, they're fine margins.

"My view has always been that you need to be winning consistently between World Cups. Winning the World Cup is important but winning consistently drives loyalty and support. Going well at the World Cup is important, but what's most important is building a team that's consistently winning over a number of years.

"In terms of success, I won't be drawn into what's a pass or fail. If we can put out a team all of Australia is proud of watching, that's a good outcome."

While he has only been in the chief executive role for a handful of weeks, Waugh served for five years on the RA board as a non-executive director and was involved in the decision to replace former coach Dave Rennie at the start of the year.

The former flanker acknowledged this season has not gone to plan, but said the Wallabies were not in a position to win the World Cup under the old regime.

So while results this year may not meet expectations, Waugh is confident Jones will deliver in both 2025 and 2027.

"While a lot of players received a fair opportunity," he said. "The results we were receiving weren't at the level that both the rugby community and broader community expect from the Wallabies. That was important in the decision making, then it's around how do we put ourselves in the best position to be successful immediately and set up a system that's successful over a longer duration.

"Naturally you want immediate results but it's a long game, not a short game. We need to do a lot of rebuilding and resetting of the system more broadly. While everyone is hopeful and optimistic around success in 23, it's about setting ourselves up for success in perpetuity more so than immediately."

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