The development came after Jones appeared on the ABC’sOffsiders program earlier that day,talking tough on a series of issues,including Wallabies on rich overseas deals,Australian teams’ performances against New Zealand sides and the departure of former assistant coach Dan McKellar.

Jones also warned he would bring uncompromising standards to the Wallabies’ set-up and all but declared Quade Cooper his first-choice five-eighth for this year’s World Cup.

It was a weekend of mixed showings for Australian teams. The Brumbies notched a tough victory against the Blues and the Rebels almost snatched victory from the Hurricanes. But Jones rubbished any notion of incremental gains and demanded better from Australia’s five Super Rugby sides.

“We’ve got to beat them.[A close loss] is not good enough for us. We need to beat the New Zealand sides,” he told the ABC.

“The Rebels hung in the game,they could have got blown right out ... you need to stay in the game with that intensity against the New Zealand sides. You can’t let them get on top.

“That’s what we want to see going forward,we want to see our players dominating the New Zealand players.”

Jones watched every game at AAMI Park across three days of competition and received a hero’s welcome at every turn. He also kept a full book of appointments with senior Wallabies players,meeting Michael Hooper,Ala’alatoa and others over the weekend.

He praised the Waratahs forwearing down the Drua in a 46-17 win on Saturday night,singling out back-rowers Hooper and Gleeson,playmaker Ben Donaldson and rookie winger Jorgensen.

“That’s the exciting part for Australian rugby. There’s some good,established players – Quade and[Bernard] Foley and Ala’alatoa and[James] Slipper and Hooper – and then we’ve got this emerging young talent coming through. We’ve just got to get the mix right in the team.”

He was less generous to Rory Arnold,a mainstay of the Wallabies’ second row over the past seven years who took a three-year,$4.5 million deal to play in Japan andlooks set to stay there despite his club’s season being cancelled.

“He didn’t come on the November tour,so he made a decision not to play for Australia on the November tour,by his own volition,” Jones said.

“At the moment,players who do that aren’t in our recognition. We want players who want to play for the Wallabies. That’s commonsense. If he rings up and says he wants to play for the Wallabies,then we’ll have a chat to him.”

The 62-year-old also addressed the departure of McKellar,who rejected Jones’ offer to stay on staff as his anointed successor andtook a job with top English club Leicester.

Jones rejected a suggestion McKellar’s absence was a loss for the Wallabies.

“No. We want people who want to be in our system,we don’t want people who want to be their own head coach,there’s only one head coach,so we need guys who want to be good assistants,” he said. “As good a coach as Dan is,we wish him all the best,but we’ve moved on.”

There was plenty of love for Cooper,the veteran playmaker who was Dave Rennie’s first-choice No.10 but is battling an Achilles injury and will be racing the clock to make it back for the Rugby Championship in July.

Jones said he had met Cooper in Brisbane a few weeks ago and appeared to guarantee him a World Cup spot,before walking back his position when pinned down on the matter.

“We’ll need to have three No.10s at the World Cup,Quade could be one of them and the other two spots are wide open,” he said.

Jones also said an emotional Australian homecoming in January had not softened his coaching standards.

“The reason the Melbourne Storm have been successful is because the standards are high and you’ve got to set the standards high and be absolutely uncompromising on that,” he said.

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