All Blacks legend Andrew Mehrtens believes there is "no way" Eddie Jones' leaked Wallabies team lists were an accident, saying the coach is "too wily for that".
The Wallabies coach set tongues wagging in Super Round when an eagle-eyed Twitter user snapped a photo of Jones taking notes at AAMI Park.
The image appeared to show Jones' preferred first and second Test lineups on Super Rugby Pacific form.
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The first team included: James Slipper, Dave Porecki, Allan Alaalatoa, Darcy Swain, Cadeyrn Neville, Rob Valetini, Michael Hooper, Langi Gleeson, Nic White, Noah Lolesio, Lalakai Foketi, Len Ikitau, Mark Nawaqanitawase, Max Jorgensen and Tom Wright.
And the second team included: Tom Robertson, Folau Fainga'a, Pone Faamausili, Jed Holloway, Nick Frost, Pete Samu, Liam Wright, Fraser McReight, Harry Wilson, Tate McDermott, Lynagh, Ben Donaldson, Suliasi Vunivalu and Reece Hodge.
"I think there's no way it was a slip. He's too wily for that," Mehrtens said on Stan Sport's Rugby Heaven.
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"Nothing happens by chance… I think everybody knows what Eddie's thinking."
Former Wallaby Morgan Turinui – who played under Jones – also believed it was possible mind games from the master of media manipulation.
"You never know 100 per cent whether it was deliberate," Turinui said.
"Was it Marty Cambridge, the Wallabies media guy taking the photo of the list behind him in the stand? Then suddenly some burner account puts it out.
"I've never seen Eddie write that big and that legible ever. So maybe it was."
On a more serious note, former Wallaby Stephen Hoiles felt it was sad that it might force Jones away from the common folk while watching games.
"I like the fact that the national coach goes and sits in the stands and talks with the punters. I hope he still does it," Hoiles said.
"But if that was genuine and that's his list that's been leaked, your national coach isn't going to sit in the stands, he's going to go and hide in the corporate box and people won't see him. The response to him in the stands in the early part of the rounds has been really positive. And if that's information he doesn't want to let go, we don't know if he does or doesn't. But he'd be sitting, he'd be hiding now.
"That's what he'd be doing to protect that getting out."
Jones also addressed the leaked team sheets on his own podcast, Eddie.
He played down the significance of the names he had scrawled.
"I'm always doing selection. That selection will have 45 drafts," Jones said.
"I don't know what went on Twitter but by the time I finished I was already up to draft four. It's quite inconsequential. But you can't trust anyone these days. Sometimes I'm too trusting. I was just sitting out there with the punters because I like to sit out with them.
"I was in between watching a game and it wasn't really capturing me so I decided I'd do something a bit useful and just scribbled down some names. Since that draft has been written I've done another three or four drafts.
"As we get assistant coaches in and we build the coaching staff, we'll build that squad up. Well done to that fan, they should get a wrap. I'm sure they're popular on Twitter for their 19 seconds of fame."
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