Eddie Jones has confirmed for the first time that he would almost certainly accept an offer to Japan if one is received – and called on the country to be “courageous” in their decision.
Jones maintained to Kyodo News in Japan that he has received no offer nor had an interview so far but indicated he would take the job if they want him.
“I’ve had no offer, let’s be clear,” Jones said. “If they (Japan) came to me and said, are you interested in coaching them, I’d definitely be interested.”
Japan is looking to replace Jamie Joseph. South African Frans Ludeke is said to be the front runner, with Japan thought to be concerned about Jones’ propensity to make himself, and not his team, the centre of attention.
Jones has repeatedly rejected reports that he has already interviewed for the job with a succession of weasel words.
He has gone on a sustained media blitz since returning from the World Cup, with podcast appearances and almost daily exclusive interviews with media in Australia, the UK and now Japan.
Jones told Kyodo rugby in Japan “has always been like my passion”.
“Japan can’t stay where they are because if they stay where they are, they’ll actually start to slide. So they’ve got to make a big push now,” Jones said.
“You’re going to have to be courageous, and you’re going to have to do things differently. You can’t just go along and do what you’re doing now. So that’s the reason I would be interested.”
Bongi breaks his silence
Springboks prop Bongi Mbonambi has spoken for the first time about the racism allegations directed at him at the World Cup and called out England for being “unprofessional”.
England flanker Tom Curry accused Mbonambi of a racial slur during the Springboks’ 16-15 semi-final win on Pairs.
The South Africans claimed Curry misheard a direction in Afrikaans, although the player suggested to referee Ben O’Keeffe that he’d been called a “white c—” but the Springboks powerhouse. There were subsequent allegations that Mbonambi had also abused Curry in a match last year.
(Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
World Rugby reviewed video and audio footage and submissions from both teams before clearing Mbonambi to play in the final against New Zealand, ruling there was “insufficient evidence” that he had used the alleged term.
World Rugby also expressed concern at the online abuse both players suffered.
“It is important to note that World Rugby accepts that Tom Curry made the allegations in good faith, and that there is no suggestion that the allegation was deliberately false or malicious,” World Rugby’s statement read.
Mbonambi maintained his silennce on the incident at the World Cup but addressed the incident in an interview with BBC Sport Africa.
“I think it is a very sad thing when you live in a first world country [England], you think the rest of the world speaks English,” Mbonambi said..
“It was unprofessional on their part. They could have gone on a website and looked for an English dictionary and looked for the word in Afrikaans.
“People understood [in South Africa] but obviously their side was misunderstood.”
England’s Tom Curry speaks to referee Ben O’Keeffe. (Photo by Mike Egerton/PA Images via Getty Images)
England were upset and claimed they failed to receive a fair hearing.
“I’m glad it was well taken care of [by World Rugby] and that is all in the past now,” Mbonambi said.
“But I have never racially swore at him.”
Mbonami was injured in the opening minutes of the win over New Zealand, leaving Dean Fourie to play the key role.
“It didn’t feel good at all,” Mbonambi said.
“As soon as it happened, I knew it was something wrong. But all credit to Fourie because he played his part.
“It was a tough position to be in and I believe he took it upon himself because he knew what he had to do. But it wasn’t easy.
“We knew that it wasn’t only one guy on the field but 14 other players who [had] got his back, and he knows that. That is how we work at the Springboks.”
Fruitpicker
Roar Rookie
Why would Curry's behaviour and record not be taken into account? You haven't answered the question at all. Why bring it up in the semifinal rather than several months earlier? If Curry found the phrase unpalatable in the middle of a game, then it makes sense to nip it in the bud instantly when it had first cropped up. His account just doesn't add up. It says more about him. Having seen his blatantly reckless challenges, I have no sympathy for the man but do believe his family should not have been subjected to vitriol. If anything, he'll learn to be more responsible on the paddock to ensure that doesn't happen again. And, yes, I'm an accomplished scribe and that is my opinion. You don't have to feel your opinions are any lesser on account of my credentials. They all contribute to a robust brainstorming session. I play the ball, not the player, so it hardly matters to me what your background is.
Mactruck
Roar Rookie
Edie’s hubris has finally caught up with him. Be very surprised if japan / any country went with him now. Be lucky to get a Shute shield assistant coach gig
Bliksem
Roar Rookie
Funbus, are you trying to claim the Enlightenment for Britain? Tom Curry should be careful as there are Kants everywhere, including the German philosopher Immanuel Kant, whose ideas became synonymous with the Enlightenment. The core theme of the Enlightenment is the capacity and courage to think for yourself and debate even controversial issues such as religion, rugby and the Greatness of Brittain in a rational manner. Ironically, this core message may have escaped you. I argued in the original post that I don't see anything great about Great Britain, provided reasons and invited anyone to argue the opposite. Some of the responses, including yours have been a short of what you would call Enlightened.
Paulo
Roar Rookie
Exactly, racism in NZ, Aus, or even the UK is one thing. It carries a WHOLE other connotation in SA, and this I think is where the disconnect happens. Racism here means someone says ‘oh you shouldn’t have done that’, racism on certain other countries, means a whole lot more…
Bliksem
Roar Rookie
The big deal is the racism accusations the rest are likely to be a misunderstanding. In a country where everything and everyone are seen through race coloured lenses a racism claim is taken very seriously and not made unless you can substantiate it
Paulo
Roar Rookie
I think the actual reality is that Mbongi said something similar back in 2022, as it’s a common phrase or direction in the game, and spoken in Afrikaans, and Curry heard it then. Didn’t think much it if, not a big deal. Heard it again in a WC semifinal, and thought, “actually, if he is calling me a pale See You Next Tuesday, here’s a chance…” …and so asked the question. Fair play - it’s within the rules. And I know SA fans will 100% approve of something being within the rules, regardless of ‘spirit’. The way he asked it, suggests, at least to me, he wasn’t 100% sure. If he was 100% sure, I’d imagine he would have said ‘that guy just said this…” He just wanted to put it ‘on the radar’ not make a full blown accusation. Post-game he clammed up as it had taken a life of its own that he couldn’t control.
Paulo
Roar Rookie
“If Curry had encountered Mbonambi using what he considered to be offensive words in previous cases, why wait until the semi-final to bring it up with the referee a few minutes into the match?” The answer, or at least the answer that would be proffered, is obvious. This isn’t evidence or proof that the alleged abuse didn’t happen. Bad things can happen to bad people. Any award winning journalist would know that. Personally I don’t think the abuse happened, I accept the Bok explanation of using Afrikaans which makes logical sense. Your use of Curry’s ‘character’ and ‘reputation’ to de-legitimise or discredit him is poor and I’d expect more neutrality and objective assessment from an award winning journalist.
Mirt
Roar Rookie
No fun on the bus without XXXX
Bliksem
Roar Rookie
I suppose you judge the significance and importance of a culture by what they have produced that other countries and peoples have copied. This requires a lengthy response. I think you confuse the value of culture with imperialism. The USA is the dominant empire today and exports its way of life to others. Before the USA it was the UK, Netherlands, Spain and Rome that used their military, industrial and economic power to "force" their way of life unto others. That does make the USA culture more significant or important than those of France or the New Zealand Māori? Each culture contains valuable elements that is significant and important. Among these elements are ancient wisdoms, complex mythologies about how people and nature interact, land-management practices learned over many centuries on how to survive challenging circumstances, and even how to prepare for the certainty of death. A culture should not be frozen in time but should be allowed to evolve so that we can still live in a pluralistic, interconnected world that benefit from the modern world (e.g. medical advances) without sacrificing ethnicity. This is pretty difficult for someone from a dominant culture to undestand. Many "tasted the 'spice" that Italian culture, France culture, Spanish culture, Indian culture, Greek culture, Japanese culture and the different cultures of Mexico provides. Very few "tasted" the cultures of the Sinhalese people if Sri Lanka, the San of the Namib, the Sami of Scandinavia, the Quechua people in the Andean highlands, the Bedouin of the Arabian deserts, the Australian Aboriginal groups, the Maasai people of East Africa, the Kazakhs of Mongolia - all rich and old cultures that survived thousands of years. A big problem (at least for me) is the decline in cultural diversity - a leading indicator of the loss of culture is the loss of language. Linguists estimates that 50 percent of the world’s 7,000 languages are endangered and that within two generations, we may lose half of humanity’s social, cultural and intellectual legacy. Our world is becoming increasingly bland, uniform and devoid of spice. Getting back to the article and Curry (not the spice). Curry's grandchildren may never experience (the privilege) to be called a "wit kant" as they will likely get the English version. Afrikaans is the world's youngest language and among the 7,000 languages that are endangered. It is "officially" one of the eleven "official languages" and is still the language that more South Africans understand Afrikaans today than any other language including English. That is why it is used as the common language in the Springbok camp. Despite assurances from the ANC to minority groups the ANC has targeted the Afrikaans and removed it from the business, education and public sectors. For example, before the ANC got into power there were five universities in South Africa that used Afrikaans as the primary language of education - today there is none. Less and less schools are Afrikaans each year. Once a language has no practical use it doesn't take long to disappear and with it the cultures of the Afrikaners (Etzebeth, Bakkies, Matfield, Burger, etc) and the colorful Cape Coloured (Kolbe, Limbok, Arendse, etc).
Bliksem
Roar Rookie
I look for supporting evidence for any assumptions I made, but that is just me. You are free to believe whatever you want.
Bliksem
Roar Rookie
Don't let the evidence (or lack of it) and facts cloud your judgement. If you think England didn't try to pressure the referee during the SF and that Curry would not follow his captain in doing it, you have been too long on the funbus.
Pom in exile
Roar Rookie
‘Notorious for horrendous acts on the field…’ Wtaf are you talking about? ‘Former journalist’ - explains it, carry on. :laughing:
Bliksem
Roar Rookie
“Can’t possibly be true claim” demonstrates ignorance. Have fun on your bus…
Bliksem
Roar Rookie
It is far more likely that your mate curried his claim in a clumsy attempt to influence the referee. The British media and RFU took it to the next level. World Rugby found no evidence on multiple cameras, microphones and England could not produce a single witness that the alleged even happened. Curry’s claim is just as fat fetch as yours. However you and Curry can believe whatever you want. I prefer evidence and facts.
Hhhmmmm
Roar Rookie
Hope Japan rings RA for a reference check
soapit
Roar Guru
Ideally You’d hope that if mbongi said “I’m sorry for upsetting you but i was speaking Afrikaans”.. then curry would then say “sorry for the misunderstanding”
soapit
Roar Guru
If curry felt he was being racially targeted i think reasonable to speak to the ref about stopping it in the game and not waiting That said I'm privileged and it hasn't been an issue on the field for me
soapit
Roar Guru
Is it a real problem though? He knows one of the guys fluent languages is English so reasonable to react to what he thought he heard in some way. Assuming true, the misunderstanding was then cleared up, hopefully with a bit of learning on both sides.
Malmesbury Missile
Roar Rookie
Still waiting for any proof of all the allegations you made? Right there are none!
Malmesbury Missile
Roar Rookie
Where is your evidence? You keep making these assertions, but with zero facts!