News Now: Packers player denies having an early interview in Japan.
Eddie Jones says his Wallabies departure to join Japan is fine with him, claiming he wasn’t in talks for the job until after Australia’s disastrous World Cup campaign.
Jones was introduced as the Brave Blossoms’ coach on Thursday night at a press conference in a Tokyo hotel.
Jones was interviewed by the Japanese Rugby Football Union (JRFU) in August, two days before the Wallabies’ World Cup warm-up Test against France, according to reports in September.
The Wallabies then had a historically poor Cup campaign, being eliminated before the quarter-finals for the first time.
Jones has consistently denied that the August interview took place, and when pressed on Thursday, he reiterated that the first and only interview took place this year.
JRFU president Masato Tsuchida, who was sitting next to Jones, interjected to explain that a recruitment agency representing the organization had initially contacted Jones, but only to seek his advice on filling the vacancy left by Jamie Joseph.
“I didn’t do an interview before the World Cup,” Jones was quoted as saying.
“The recruitment agency asked me to share my Japan experiences with them.”
“Some people might have construed that as an interview, it certainly wasn’t an interview.”
Jones stated that he does not feel “any guilt” and that he left because Rugby Australia could not meet his needs.
“Are you apologizing to Australian fans?” “Yep, Mate, I gave everything I had in that short period of time, and it wasn’t enough,” said the 63-year-old, whose mother and wife are both Japanese.
“I had a plan of what we needed to do to change Australian rugby. We weren’t able to do that, Rugby Australia weren’t able to support that.
“I decided to move on and I wish Australia all the best.
“I feel terrible about the results of Australia – I wanted to go back and change Australia.
“But I don’t feel any guilt at all about this process.”
It will be the second time Jones has taken charge of the Brave Blossoms, following a three-year posting from 2012 highlighted by a shock World Cup defeat of South Africa.
Axed as England coach in December, Jones was quickly snapped up by Australia at Dave Rennie’s expense.
But that long-term deal lasted just nine months, the circumstances around Jones’s exit causing uproar in rugby circles and contributing to the ousting of Rugby Australia chairman Hamish McClennan.
“Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and I can’t control their opinion,” Jones said of the backlash in Australia.
“The only thing I can control is what I did, and it sits well with me mate, I don’t have a problem with it.”
Former England and Australia boss Eddie Jones has been confirmed as Japan’s new head coach through to 2028.
Jones will take charge of the Brave Blossoms for the second time, having previously coached them from 2012 to 2015.
After coaching Australia at the 2023 Rugby World Cup, Jones resigned soon after the tournament despite having a contract through to 2027.
This move to Japan has long been rumoured. There were reports during the World Cup that Jones held a job interview with Japan for the vacancy before the tournament started, despite having the long-term contract with Australia.
Jones repeatedly denied these reports during the competition, as the Wallabies’ tournament came to a premature end in the group stages.
But the relationship between Jones and Rugby Australia deteriorated and he announced his departure on Oct. 29.
“When you’ve had 20 years of unsuccessful rugby, it’s because something is wrong in the system,” Jones said at the time.
“The system needs to change. We went in with a plan and it’s unable to be changed so I felt like my job would be compromised for the next four years, which I wasn’t prepared to do.”
Jones replaces the outgoing Jamie Joseph and will steer Japan into the 2027 Rugby World Cup, which will be held in Australia. He masterminded their famous 34-32 win over South Africa in the 2015 World Cup, a performance which saw him appointed as England head coach.
He won three Six Nations titles with England across his seven-year tenure, and led them to the 2019 Rugby World Cup final, where they lost to South Africa. He left the job with England with a 73% winning record, the highest of any coach of the men’s team.
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