Eddie Jones has four years remaining on his Wallabies contract. Photo: Sebastien Bozon/AFP
Eddie Jones held a secret meeting late last month with the Japan Rugby Football Union about becoming the next head coach of the national team, despite having four remaining on his Wallabies contract year.
Revelations in the Sydney Morning Herald led to the emergence of rugby. Australia chief executive Phil Waugh holds an emergency press conference just hours before Australia face Wales in a must-win match to stay in the Rugby World Cup.
Speaking at a fan event in Lyon less than four hours before the match. Secondly, Waugh admitted that he was surprised by the revelations, but insisted that Jones had told him that reports he had spoken to JRFU representatives about the role were false.
“It’s amazing how you take people’s word for it and you trust the team,” Waugh said. «He said he didn't have [an interview], and if he did, that's what we'll do when it becomes obvious.
«I'm a firm believer in taking people's word for it and that It would be disappointing, but it's all about speculation as to what conversations have taken place.»
Waugh added that exiting the Rugby World Cup in the group stage for the first time would be unacceptable as Australia's participation in the play-offs would be under threat ahead of the Wales game after their first defeat to Fiji in 69 years.
“That would be very disappointing,” Waugh said. “As a passing grade, I've always said that the Rugby World Cup and a top country like Australia getting to the semi-finals is what you want, what you should strive for, and anything less is not what you want «.
Eddie Jones watched South Africa's defeat to Japan in Brighton. Photo: Eddie Keogh/Reuters
According to the Herald, Jones conducted a Zoom interview with Japanese officials on August 25, two days before Australia's warm-up match against France in Paris. — which they lost 41-17 — and just two weeks before the opening match of the World Cup.
The report adds that Jones was willing to conduct a second interview with Japanese officials in France to discuss the role . Jones is expected to be one of the final three candidates to succeed Jamie Joseph, with a JRFU spokesman adding that the choice of a new head coach has yet to be decided.
Jones previously enjoyed great success in Japan with the Japanese national team. He beat South Africa at Brighton in 2015 but missed out on the play-offs before joining England in 2016.
After being sacked from the England squad in December last year, Jones was again recruited by the Australian rugby team and signed a long-term contract. is preparing for the 2027 Rugby World Cup with a reported salary of A$750,000 (£395,000).
'It looks like it's good to have options'
Jones has been appointed by Rugby Australia chairman Hamish McLennan, replacing Dave Rennie, to spark a revival in the Wallabies' fortunes ahead of the British and Irish Lions series in 2025 and the World Cup on home soil in two years later.
But before facing Wales, Australia had won only one of their seven matches under Jones, against Georgia early in the World Cup, with Jones dropping a number of veterans. players and decided to select a younger team for the tournament as the Wallabies now risk missing out on the play-offs for the first time in their history.
Jason Ryles, Australia's assistant coach, who also worked with Jones when he was in charge England, echoed Waugh's sentiments at Australia's captain's race on Saturday.
“To walk away from this would be a bit of a surprise because there are a lot of green shoots for the future. To be honest, I'm not too sure what he'll do. Apparently, it’s good to have options.”
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