The moment Wallabies fans around the country have been dreading has arrived.
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It's now or never as they put their World Cup hopes on the line against Wales in Lyon.
Win or lose, Monday's clash is a defining moment in Australian rugby.
The Wallabies must prevail to remain a chance of progressing to the quarter-finals, while a defeat will mark a historic group exit.
A loss will trigger a detailed review with a widespread fallout. While firing one person will not fix Australian rugby's issues, it's likely there will be a scapegoat.
Eddie Jones returned home to win. He's currently won just one of seven games in charge.
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While he signed a five-year deal through to 2027, the coach recognises he has not delivered the expected results and can feel the pressure starting to mount.
Rugby Australia chief executive Phil Waugh was handpicked by chairman Hamish McLennan and has only been in the job since July. It would be a major shock if the former Wallaby is axed post-World Cup.
Which leaves us with McLennan. The man nicknamed "The Hammer" has ruffled plenty of feathers over the past few years.
The chairman boldly declared the Wallabies could win the World Cup when Jones returned and Dave Rennie was dumped at the start of the year.
Whispers emerging from France suggest tension between the pair as the losses started to mount.
![Pressure is mounting on Wallabies coach Eddie Jones ahead of Monday's crucial World Cup clash with Wales. Picture Julius Dimataga/RugbyAU Media Pressure is mounting on Wallabies coach Eddie Jones ahead of Monday's crucial World Cup clash with Wales. Picture Julius Dimataga/RugbyAU Media](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/GzY3iczng7SLWqVgHSV78t/4dc80392-deb1-474c-a7ee-d169f9e1c24f.JPG/r0_201_3936_2423_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
McLennan, however, has already got on the front foot and started to shift the blame after last week's loss to Fiji.
The defeat, he said, was the result of 20 years of mismanagement and only he can lift Australian rugby out of the hole it's currently in. His recent comments suggest there is no way McLennan will fall on his sword.
The chairman's solution is centralisation. McLennan has spent the past week beating the drum for the revolutionary change to the way the sport is run in this country.
Detail, however, remains scant and many of the member unions are yet to be convinced of the benefits of handing power over to head office.
The five Super Rugby franchises agree something has to change but there is disagreement over what that change looks like.
There is little objection to centralising the high-performance units and allowing RA to run the football programs, but the Brumbies and others are reluctant to hand over all operations, licences and intellectual property to RA.
The Brumbies recognise they're not in a great financial position, but they've also watched the people running the sport in Sydney waste millions for the last 20 years.
Even now, RA is relying on a loan from World Rugby to remain afloat until the 2025 British and Irish Lions series.
The Brumbies have declared they are willing to take the fight to head office over the next few months.
Should the Wallabies lose on Monday morning, the fallout could get messy.
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