Eddie Jones painted a daydream picture of an alternate, idyllic reality, teaching in a backwater school in Australia.
A world away from Test rugby coaching, Jones would split his time between work and home, taking a packed lunch from the wife and being back in time for tea.
But Jones is not enjoying a 2.4 children existence, that was all a figment of his imagination.
The 63-year-old is in the midst of scrambling to save his job, and also ignite Australia’s World Cup campaign.
No wonder he drifted into a reverie when a room full of journalists were digging into the reasons for Australia standing on the brink of a Rugby World Cup pool stage exit for the first time.
Lose to Wales and Australia will be on the cusp of elimination at their earliest ever point of a World Cup, and Jones’ job will be fully on the line.
“When you coach, you make a choice to put yourself in these positions,” said Jones.
“If I didn’t want to put myself in these positions, I could be teaching and I could have a nice life.
“Get up every morning, wife puts the packed lunch in the bag, put a shirt and tie on, know what I am going to do.
“I am going to teach six periods, come home, wash the dog, clean the car, watch the news and then get the packed lunch ready for the next day.
“I could have done that mate, but I made a choice to coach and I love winning.”
Jones has always been a workaholic, pushing himself onto a brutal schedule with which precious few even of his Test rugby peers can keep pace.
The former Randwick hooker admitted the real reason he does not teach – which was his first profession – is ultimately that he cannot quit the elite coaching drug.
“I love it when you’ve got to try to create team that everyone thinks they’re going to lose, to put them in a position where they can win,” said Jones.
“I don’t know whether it’s a drug, but that’s the rush of coaching.
“And you get more people to come and see you when they smell blood.
“We’ve got 10 times more people than we normally have in the Australian press conference, because people smell blood. That makes it even more exciting.”
Australia’s beleaguered campaign was hit with yet another blow this week, when Max Jorgensen suffered a broken leg.
Jones has dropped young fly-half Carter Gordon for Sunday’s clash with Wales on Sunday in Lyon, installing full-back Ben Donaldson in the 10 shirt instead.
Jones’ job will be under threat if Australia lose, with their Pool C campaign hitting the skids after last weekend’s 22-15 defeat by Fiji.
The former England boss has insisted from the start that he is building for Australia’s future, having been unseated from the Red Rose job in December.
But he has now admitted he might not make it as far as next year, let alone the 2027 World Cup on home soil in Australia, to which he is contracted.
“I want to coach as best I can against Wales on Sunday, that’s all I can say,” said Jones, when quizzed on my future.
“That’s the only job I have got at the moment.
“At the end of the World Cup there will be a review. Given the results we’ve had, maybe Rugby Australia doesn’t want to keep me.
“That’s the reality of the job I live in. I understand that.”
