Eddie Jones carrying ‘no wounds’ from messy Australia exit
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Eddie Jones has said that his Australia stint is now behind him and he is focused on his role with Japan.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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MELBOURNE – Former Wallabies coach Eddie Jones said he has moved on since his acrimonious exit from Australian rugby and feels comfortable with himself in his role at Japan.
The 65-year-old returned to his roots at Sydney’s Coogee Oval on April 15 when his Under-23 Japan team were edged out 36-31 by his former club Randwick.
Jones oversaw Australia’s worst World Cup performance at the 2023 tournament in France, where the Wallabies exited the group stage for the first time, and resigned 10 months into his five-year deal.
He was confirmed as Japan’s head coach weeks after quitting the Wallabies, having repeatedly denied reports he had interviewed for the role before the World Cup.
The saga irked Australian fans and pundits, but Jones said he was unaffected by it.
“I don’t have any wounds,” he told Australian media.
“You might have wounds. I don’t have any. You make decisions, you move on with it, people can think what they want. It doesn’t really affect me. I can sit pretty quietly at night and be comfortable with myself.”
The Wallabies also moved on under coach Joe Schmidt, who helped rebuild the team’s confidence in 2024 after they won two out of nine Tests under Jones.
Schmidt will step down after the Rugby Championship in August, however, meaning Australia will have a fourth head coach in three years.
Queensland Reds coach Les Kiss is seen as the front runner to replace him.
Jones said things were looking up for the Wallabies and was impressed by rugby league convert Joseph Suaalii, who made his Test debut last season and has been in top form for the New South Wales Waratahs in Super Rugby Pacific.
“He’s like two players,” he said.
“Some of those young guys are starting to come through, and some of the older guys have come back and played well. Tommy Wright, Jake Gordon have come back and played really well, so I think it’s promising for them.”
In other news, Rugby Australia (RA) on April 16 reported a A$36.8 million (S$30.8 million) loss for 2024 after embarking on a costly programme to integrate loss-making Super Rugby Pacific teams and spending millions propping up the Melbourne Rebels before they collapsed.
The loss adds to a A$9.2 million deficit posted for 2023, when the Wallabies crashed out of the World Cup, and outstrips the A$27.1 million shortfall for 2020 during the depths of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Despite the red ink, the governing body was positive about the outlook and said it was now positioned to retain the “full up-side” of this year’s British and Irish Lions tour and the coming 2027 World Cup on home soil.
“Rugby Australia made great progress in 2024 towards building a sustainable, thriving model for Australian Rugby,” CEO Phil Waugh said in a statement.
“There is still much to do but the pathway to a prosperous future is clear.” REUTERS
