Eddie Jones has cooled raging speculation that he could be ready to return to the Wallabies ahead of the 2023 World Cup.
Jones, 62, has told the Sydney Morning Herald, that “coaching at the next World Cup will be difficult,” following his departure as England coach.
Jones has been linked to a return to Australian rugby, either as a colleague of, or replacement for, incumbent coach Dave Rennie.
He told the Herald of the stress of the past few seasons at the helm of the England team.
“It probably has struck me that the last three years has taken a fair bit out of me. Three, four days after I got sacked, we had to take the dog for a rabies shot – now we have to try to get her out of the country – and I went down to the local shopping centre and I realised I probably haven’t been there for two and a half years,” said Jones.
“It was pretty all encompassing the last three years, so I think I’ll take a bit of a breath now. If someone comes forward and the offer’s too good to refuse then I’ll look at it, but I think it’s getting too close to the starting point of the World Cup, so I’m not too bothered one way or another.”
Jones said he was interested in a job where he could “add value”.
“That would be my starting point: whether I can add value and whether they can win. They’re the two things I’m looking at,” Jones said.
he has also been linked to the United States and Georgia – both are teams where he could clearly add value, but not where he could win what he he recently described as the “ultimate trophy.”
Jones also had a sobering view on the state of the game in Australia, and contrasted it to the “vitality” of the National Rugby League.
(Photo by Michael Regan – World Rugby/World Rugby via Getty Images)
Praising Rennie for doing “a really good job under difficult circumstances”, Jones said Australian rugby couldn’t afford to keep letting top schoolboy talent move to rugby league.
“For Australia to be at their best and be a World Cup champion, you need to get those kids, who are good players at schoolboy level and rugby players, so they don’t get missed and go to rugby league,” Jones said.
“It’s tough because you’ve got all those NRL clubs and the competition is firing and they’ve all got money. A young kid like [Angus] Crichton – I don’t know the exact details – but I believe when he came out of school, he was offered something like $40,000 to play Waratahs and be a bits-and-pieces player.
“He gets offered five times that by the Roosters, he’s going to start, he’s going to be in the team. It’s a hard thing for a young player to resist.
(Photo by Getty Images)
“Those challenges have always been there but they’ve probably been magnified more now by the vitality of the NRL and also by the fact Australian rugby has dropped off a bit.”
Jones was also open about criticism of his methods, saying he might have been too soft, instead of too harsh, on players in the England team in the past few years.
“There’s some validity in all of that [criticism],” Jones said of him being known as a hard taskmaster.
“I can guarantee you it’s not for everyone.
“Having said that, I think there’s a track record that suggests that maybe some of that is exaggeration and some of it goes with a nice narrative for people to sell. You’re in a national gig for seven years and at the end of it, you’ve only got players saying good things.
“I haven’t heard any of the current players come out and say, ‘Shit we’re glad he’s gone’. There’s no reason for them to say nice things now because I’m not going to have any effect on their career.
“There’s the fact that I coached Japan for four years, England for seven years, that’s 11 years in international coaching. If your methods are so bad, you’re not going to do that.
“Let’s be completely honest about it, I can be too hard on people. But I’m less like that now. One of the things I do question is whether I was too soft in England, particularly in the last two or three years, whether I didn’t put the hammer [down] enough.”
Micko
Roar Rookie
Really? I remember RA demanding a whole bunch of cash from NZR...and getting it!!! What exactly are you basing point #1 on?!!!
WhoSaidWhat?
Guest
Touche JD, that comment both hurt and amused me :shocked: :laughing:
No Arms
Roar Rookie
Erm we have an Australian market of under 30 mil plus abroad market generously I’ll sat another 10 mil - we’re still ‘miles ‘ short of being a kilometer away
Jamie Saunders
Roar Rookie
Talent spotting is the key to wallabies retaining the right players but without a solid financial base we will always lose people to league and not have the resources to bring them back.I recall when Berrick Barnes returned he learnt defensive skills and came back a more rounded player so it's not a big deal young rugby kids going to league it's spotting there potential position back in our game.I love Angus Creighton but will he win us a world cup it's not a position we are scrambling for.Tom Wright Ricky Elsom not NRL greats but came back and excelled so I don't care where you play in which comp league or union but have the mouse to spot the needed return and the cash that goes with it.League really is no threat it's a tribal suburban game but the brilliant elites that run ARU aren't very good at accounting which is strange because they have been too our best schools.
Objective Observer
Roar Rookie
I do not think changing coaches is the answer. I think that is what RA would like to do, the appointment of DR was controversial, I did not think he was the best candidate. I do believe that he was employed for a set time to do a certain job and should be given the opportunity to see it through. RA should then be accountable for the decision. We have a very favourable RWC draw, it really comes down to how we can play in a SF and hopefully a Final. Results are the answer.
Dionysus
Guest
A lot depends on what the NRL does next. It has just added its 17th team and talked openly about an eighteenth before too long. If it stays at that and they revert to their previous slow conservative approach then there is probably little downside for Rugby especially in NZ. However there has been talk of splitting the comp into a conference system or even (less popular) a division system opening the comp up to adding significantly more teams. One thing is certain, there are lots of places clamouring for inclusion. These include clubs in traditional areas but also Perth, PNG, Adelaide, and above one in NZ. If the NRL goes the aggressive route and is even moderately successful then that could really impact Rugby. The other issue for league in NZ has been the Warriors lack of success. Despite its advantages, it still hasn't achieved much and is regarded in League circles as an also ran club. That accounts for its lack of visibility in NZ but a little success goes a long way in the NZ market and a Warriors premiership could suddenly change their appetite for League with possible impacts for Rugby down the line.
Julius
Roar Rookie
Reading these threads it really baffles me that there’s still any debate about the popularity of Union v League worldwide, to be honest. Union has professional or semi professional competitions all over the world (including North and South America and countries like Korea and Taiwan, set to be bolstered by the new Asian Grand League which will include franchises from Hong Kong, South Korea, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines), whereas League has one sensational professional competition in Australia and an average one in England, and that’s it. When League fans say that Union’s popularity is restricted to the usual Commonwealth countries, it is very easy to show them they’re wrong – in the last five years there’s been 40.000+ in attendance in Madrid, 99000+ in Barcelona’s Camp Nou, 15.000 in Santiago, 30.000+ in Sao Paulo, 40.000+ in Washington, 70.000+ in Tokyo, 30.000+ in Vancouver, sold out crowds when the Fijian Drua played in Lautoka and Suva, not to mention regular sold out crowds all over Argentina and South Africa, the Olympics etc.
Just Nuisance
Roar Rookie
I'm pretty sure that is not the strategy , but the real point is an awful lot can happen between now and WC 2023 . Better to be hopeful . Too late to switch coaches now anyway .
Objective Observer
Roar Rookie
Thanks - so that is the DR strategy. Get beaten by all of the teams the beat prior RWC winners. Sounds a little hopeless to me - but if that is the strategy he is well one track to get beaten by many teams.
Objective Observer
Roar Rookie
Thanks- I think you have set out, as well as possible, the evidence that supports your argument. This is the great thing about the true believers - they just keep believing despite the facts.
TJ-Go Force!
Roar Rookie
Within a salary cap tho. Which I’ve always said needs to go. That way at least our rich clubs NSW, Force and Qld can then sign and retain more of our best players and be competitive regularly with the kiwis. The issue is we can afford Kerevi, Cooper, etc. in Australia, no franchise can afford them with the low salary caps we have in Oz.
TonyH
Roar Rookie
Rugby Union is a religion in NZ ... long established religions don't die!
Ismack
Roar Rookie
I think you ma be confusing the domestic and international games. If your talking about NRL then you are comparing that with super rugby. If your talking about the all blacks then your talking about kangaroos. So if you say rugby is not that competitive because only 5 teams have beaten the all blacks ( this number is incorrect) then this must be contrasted with how many teams have beaten the kangaroos.
Micko
Roar Rookie
Rugby union doesn't really have much globally to crow about you realise? Super rugby is dire and tanking, and the English league is in trouble. That leaves France and maybe Japan? Hardly something to crow about!
Malo
Guest
Eddie would be great as RAceo as he would clean out the Mosman mafia and organise a club rugby comp that would revitalise rugby and offer pathways for school leavers instead of relying on an exclusive corporate comp that no one plays in or follows. Super rugby is a white elephant.
Brett Allen
Roar Rookie
Let’s give this a rest on Christmas Day, hope you have a great day with your fam mate
Double Agent
Guest
Who's 'we' ??
Double Agent
Guest
Thrush and Kahui's international careers were over. Gamble's hasn't started and MA's was never gonna happen.
jeznez
Roar Guru
Except we've been doing better on that front than we have in a long time. Sua'ali'i the main miss in the last couple of years. NRL clubs went after guys like Will Harris and Billy Pollard but they stuck with Union, RA's had a future players fund in place for a few years that has been doing a great job at retaining players. Many less of the U18's and U20's being lost. Anyway, Tahs had a massive rebound in crowds last year - was that due to some slippage in NRL? Was the record viewer numbers during the 2020 Super AU due to a weakening in NRL? Yes, NRL is a challenge for players and fans but there is plenty of room for both codes. RA's bigger issues are their own structures and losing the likes of Scott Sio, Brandon Paenga-Amosa, Lukhand Salakaia-Loto, Will Skelton, Rory Arnold, Isi Naisarani, Sean McMahon, Quade Cooper, Samu Kerevi, Marika Koroibete, etc., etc., etc.
Brett Allen
Roar Rookie
It’s the young players you’re losing to RL at age 15, that’s where your problem is.