In a move that has captured the attention of the rugby world, Eddie Jones will continue to lead Australian Rugby until the 2027 Rugby World Cup.
This decision follows a turbulent 2023 World Cup campaign, during which the Australian team experienced a historic setback by failing to progress beyond the tournament’s group stages – the first time in history that an Australian team didn’t make it to the quarterfinals.
The 2023 Rugby World Cup was a painful chapter for Australian rugby, marked by unexpected challenges and a major underperformance.
Many had speculated that Jones might step down in the wake of this setback, but in a surprising twist, he’s chosen to stay and seek redemption.
Adding further speculation to a muted departure was Jones’s link to the now vacant Japanese head coach role.
Emphatic Statement Of Intent
Speaking at the announcement, Jones said, “I’m staying.
“I’ve always been committed to Australian rugby. I want to leave it in a better place and that’s still the job.
“It’s not absolutely my decision. We play in a game where the coach doesn’t decide how long they stay.”
Speaking about his team’s 2023 campaign, Jones said, “I went to the World Cup, came in [with] a short period of time, had to make a decision on the team, made a decision we needed to go with youth.
“While the results at the World Cup weren’t the results we wanted, I think I’ve left the Australian team in a great position to go on to 2027.”
“We just weren’t good enough,” Jones said.
“You’ve just got to watch the quarter-finals.
We’re not at that level and we can’t pretend to be at that level, but can we be at that level by 2027? Yes we can.”
Personally I find it hard to believe that this year’s World Cup experience did any good for the young Wallabies players. Surely a mixture of youth and experience with a clear route to a semifinal would’ve made more sense and been better for Australian Rugby’s future. pic.twitter.com/FwxqqoChdf
— Philip Bendon (@PBendon) October 17, 2023
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