Eddie Jones has finally got his man, luring rugby league great Andrew Johns to work with the Wallabies halves ahead of next month's Test against South Africa.
Fresh off his role in NSW's defeat in the State of Origin series, league Immortal Johns was at Sydney's Coogee Oval on Friday, enlisted by Jones to bring an edge to the Wallabies' attack.
Johns spent extended time with veteran playmaker Bernard Foley and young gun Carter Gordon while fellow five-eighth Quade Cooper was given time off to attend a wedding and the Brumbies players rested after recently finishing up in the Super Rugby Pacific finals.
Jones was instrumental in trying to lure ex-halfback Johns across to rugby during his first tenure as Wallabies coach before it was knocked on the head by the Rugby Australia board.
But the wily coach, who is openly a rugby league fan and has used a number of ex-players as his assistants, never gave up on getting Johns on board.
"We've known Andrew a long time and his ability to teach the nuances of first-receiver play is second to none," Jones said of Johns.
"To have him down here, particularly for a young guy like Carter (Gordon) is such a great learning experience."
While the session was a one-off, Jones said he'd jump at the opportunity to "mix" codes again.
"If we feel that there's someone from rugby league who can help us, I certainly don't have any discrimination against the sport."
Jones will on Sunday name his first squad since taking over the top job from Dave Rennie in January, with that 33-man group preparing for the Test in Pretoria against the Springboks on July 8 and then Argentina in Sydney a week later.
NSW Waratahs prop Angus Bell (foot) won't be available for the Loftus Versfeld encounter while Melbourne lock Matt Philip was wearing a moon-boot on Friday.
Jones said he also planned to name his Wallabies captain, with no hints on whether long-time skipper Michael Hooper would resume the mantle after his time away from the game, James Slipper stay in the role, or opt for a new face.
The former England coach said he'd been impressed by the players during their week-long camp with some breaking into the squad and others falling down the pecking order.
"You've got probably 45 players competing for 33 spots so that's difficult but that's the job," Jones said.
"Some people have risen above the water level and some have dropped down so we will make an assessment."
He said he was judging the players on "toughness, fitness and the ability to adapt to a new style of play".
Jones also confirmed towering Western Force lock Izack Rodda wouldn't be part of Australia's World Cup campaign after re-injuring his foot.
It's a blow for both the Wallabies and the 26-year-old, who was part of the 2019 tournament.
"That's bad luck for him. He's had those couple of foot injuries. He's just re-aggravated it so unfortunately, he won't participate in the World Cup," Jones said.
