Eddie Jones resigns as Wallabies coach،
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Jones resigned on Sunday, ending a disastrous 10-month reign that saw the Wallabies win just two of nine Tests and crash out of the Rugby World Cup group stage for the first time in Australia. history of Australia.
ESPN contacted Rugby Australia [RA] for confirmation.
The 63-year-old had been the subject of growing speculation that he would walk away from his five-year contract after being repeatedly linked to the now vacant Japan job during the World Cup, having previously hinted this year he would do it. leave whether the Wallabies have performed in France or not.
Jones told Standard Rugby Evening Podcast in May that he would consider stepping down before the end of the first year of his contract, before the Herald claimed the Australian coach had given an interview for the Brave Blossoms role on the eve of the World Cup .
Jones continued to deny the claims, although the Herald and other organizations claimed a second interview was due to take place next month.
But as the Wallabies failed to qualify for the quarter-finals for the first time in their history, after Jones made several controversial selection decisions, including omitting former skipper Michael Hooper and veteran point guard Quade Cooper, the walls began to close in around Jones.
His announced departure will be welcomed by much of the Australian rugby community, while also having perhaps saved RA a hefty sum, with an agreement for the coach to leave not even a full year into his tenure. CONTRACT. much lower payment.
Former Brumbies boss Dan McKellar is likely to be RA’s main target as Jones’ replacement, but former Wallabies coach Michael Cheika could also be considered for a second stint following his success with the ‘Argentina.
Jones spoke to Herald reporter Peter Fitzsimons on Friday, saying he was “pissed off” by the way his second coming as Wallabies coach had gone, but regretted his antagonism towards the local media, which included telling the press kit to give themselves “uppercuts” following a dramatic press conference at Sydney Airport before the Wallabies left for France.
But he said he had no regrets about the decision to omit Hooper, Cooper and Bernard Foley, believing the trio were no longer the right “role models” for his new team.
Jones’ decision to overhaul the Wallabies’ World Cup squad attracted widespread criticism, particularly his call to only take inexperienced duo Carter Gordon and Ben Donaldson at flyhalf. The youngsters failed to fire under World Cup pressure, and Australia lost to Fiji and Wales to see their campaign effectively end just two weeks after it began.
Jones’ training regime has also been called into question, with star forwards Will Skelton and Taniela Tupou both suffering soft tissue injuries ahead of the Fiji game, while the coach also used as many as six captains in 2023.
Attention will now likely turn to RA chairman Hamish McLennan, who was the main driving force behind the recruitment of Jones and the sacking of Dave Rennie. The governing body’s refusal to ask the Japan Rugby Football Federation whether it had interviewed Jones had also raised eyebrows, with McLennan and his chief executive Phil Waugh quite happy to take the coach “at his word” rather than was not pursuing the position of Brave Blossoms.
Throughout the World Cup, Jones said only that he was “committed to Australian rugby”. His refusal to set a deadline for that commitment only fueled rumors that he was preparing for an exit, while the coach also became increasingly agitated by questions over his immediate future.
Former Wallabies captain Stephen Moore and Drew Mitchell are among those to have criticized Jones’ approach to his second coming, while the mood within the wider Australian rugby community has rarely been so desperate.
