Eddie Jones has had a tough time at the Rugby World Cup. Photo: Getty Images/Sebastien Bozon
Hamish McLennan, Rugby Australia chairman, has come out strongly in Eddie Jones' defense, insisting the under-fire head coach will maintain his support to lead the Wallabies against the British and Irish Lions and reach 2027 World Cup.
Jones, the former England head coach, came under fire after defeats to Fiji and Wales, resulting in the Wallabies having to exit the pool stage for the first time in their history.
They held on on Saturday night after Fiji failed to secure a place in the quarter-finals, securing victory over Georgia but failing to secure a try bonus point — a result that would have ensured Australia's elimination before their final pool game. against Portugal in Saint-Etienne on Sunday.
Reports that Jones gave an interview to the Japan Rugby Union ahead of the World Cup have also led to calls for his sacking.
McLennan, who quickly made the decision to hire Jones after it emerged he had no non-compete clause following his sacking from the Rugby Football Union last December, however insisted the Wallabies' poor performance at the World Cup was the result of structural problems . in Australian rugby, not the head coach. Jones replaced Dave Rennie in January after the New Zealand squad was sacked due to poor results.
“Whatever you think of Eddie, his achievements as a head coach are incredible — he has played an important role in getting three separate teams into three World Cup finals,» McLennan told Telegraph Sport.
«So the question should be: 'Is Eddie a bad coach or is the Australian federation model broken?'
“I can honestly tell you that the system is broken, and I've been saying that for three years. We need to centralize ourselves as Irish people, focus more on our overall strong performance and think long term.
“Ultimately it is a matter for the board, but my personal opinion is that Eddie has enormous talents and a very experienced trainer. I am confident that the independent review we will undertake will show that we can do better.
“But we parachuted Eddie out at the end of January this year and he didn’t have much time. But I can vouch for the fact that he worked passionately and diligently and really believed that he could go further in the tournament.
“So short-termism in any organization is a really dangerous thing. So we have a platform leading up to our home World Cups in 2027 and 2029 and we can't miss it.
“We have to think that this will be the greatest comeback in 2027. I'd love for him to be part of it, but Eddie has to want it and I believe he does.»
Australia is due to host the Lions tour in 2025 and then host the 2027 Men's World Cup year and the women's tournament in 2029. NRL and AFL dominate.
McLennan said Jones needed support to oversee the Wallabies' rebuilding process and vowed they would be a competitive force again by the time the Lions tour.
“I think Eddie is absolutely committed to restoring rugby in Australia,” McLennan added. “I think we need to continue to support him, but I'm sure he, like us, is very disappointed with the results because you always hope for the best.
“The rugby community in Australia to consolidate and not be deterred by recent events. Look, I'm in the spotlight right now and I'm getting a lot of criticism right now, but we need to think logically about why we're in this situation now and how we solve it.»
McLennan, whose own stance has come under fire over his decision to hire Jones, insists he has no regrets about the decision.
“I was really concerned that we would get knocked out in the pool stage, which is why we switched Dave [Rennie] on Eddie. So, we wanted to give ourselves as many chances as possible to go deeper. This is the greatest irony of the situation.
“Eddie is a fantastic coach. People may not like the way he carries himself in the media, but he's worked as hard as he can and he's a smart guy.
“He's got a great winning percentage against coach [Rennie], which he never had. to the World Cup and just lost to Italy.»
When asked about reports Jones was interviewing for the Japan head coach job, McLennan added: «I understand that wherever he is in Japan would take him back in one capacity or another in a heartbeat, so there is a constant offer to accept him. We asked him if he gave an interview to Japan, but he categorically denied it several times, so we take his word for it.”
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