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Eddie Jones expects to be in his next job 'very shortly'
The irrepressible Eddie Jones has promised he’ll be back in a rugby job “very shortly” as he left the scene of his latest losing coaching role in Cardiff.
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Jones couldn’t resist the teasing response to AAP as he scooted away from the Principality Stadium on Saturday night (Sunday AEDT), having just led the Barbarians to a 49-26 defeat in a one-off coaching gig, just five days after quitting the Australia job.
Asked whether the rugby world would see him back in another job, perhaps another national team role again, following the Barbarians’ thumping defeat by Wales, the 63-year-old responded on the run: “A hundred per cent, hundred per cent … very shortly, very shortly.”
Pressed further, he just scuttled off to the team coach, grinning.
Jones’s name has been consistently linked with a role with Japanese rugby, where he was once the national team coach, but he again denied earlier in the week that he had had any job interviews or offers.
But at the end of a dramatic week which started with him walking away from Australia and ended with him reuniting with 10 Wallaby Barbarians in another defeat by Wales, Jones did have some brief parting words of encouragement for the team he’d left behind.
There were eight of his World Cup squad in the Baa Baas team, and they largely all performed with distinction in Saturday’s non-cap international in a 49-26 defeat, reminding Jones of the potential he was walking away from.
Had it been a bittersweet day, working again with them? “No, it’s a different thing, different role, different relationship, but you just want to see them do well,” said Jones.
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“And they did very well. I think Tom Hooper showed he’s going to be a real player of the future. And (Angus) Bell’s gonna be a player, he’ll be a world XV player.”
His praise echoed the theme of his pre-match observations that Australian rugby will rise again.
“They’ll be alright, mate,” he said of the future Wallabies. “Those players are going to be much better because they’ve had experience, they’ve had a tough World Cup campaign and sometimes you need that.
“It’s given them a bit more resilience, a bit more work ethic, and there’s good young players there, so I think they’ll be fine, mate.”
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And would they be competitive when the British and Irish Lions come visiting in 2025?
“It’ll be huge, be huge. Australia’s a proud sporting nation and when they’re not doing well, everything’s bad. Not dissimilar to England.
“But a little bit success and it’ll go up – and the Lions is a huge series. Because it’s like ‘Home and Away’, isn’t it? A little soap opera in its own right.”
A bit like his own endlessly fascinating career, Jones might have added.
Comments on RugbyPass
What a sad way to end a glittering career. Somebody should tell him to delete his social media accounts and face the consequences of what he's done. Then he should slip away quietly into obscurity. This isn't likely to happen, something tells me he'll be back in The Sun / Daily Mail sooner rather than later.
2 Go to commentsguys its fine! he understands why he did what he did and has taken accountability for it; why should he have to be accountable to a court? after all he did was abuse people in person - its not as if he was engaging in _online_ abuse!
2 Go to commentsChiefs flanker Kaylum Boshier yellow-carded for collapsing the scrum as it rolled towards the line. It was a maul….
1 Go to commentsyou know, i’m a leinster fan so I want Northampton to lose and it is gonna be tuff with Cortney lawes, Alex michell and the other guys🏉 lets go leinster🏉
1 Go to commentsWelcome to the Pro ranks. Those hard teams of old do hit the sole better though. its a dog fight at the top.
6 Go to commentsCan someone fill me in please, I've read a number of Ben Smith articles now and it seems he's got something again South Africa? Surely, this game was over and done with 7 months ago. Can't we have something a bit more interesting and relevant, or is this the calibre of journalist on this site?
227 Go to commentsNot sure what the Welsh are moaning about. They’ve had far more players off England, than England have had off Wales. Guys like Josh Hathaway and Kane James will play for Wales in the end. And they’ll be fsr better players for having played in the Gallagher Premiership, than they ever would have been had they stayed mired in the shambles that is Welsh rugby.
3 Go to commentsThis is all being blown totally out of proportion. First of all, since half the Irish team isn’t Irish - it’s very likely that none of the Irish players said that at all and, thus, we’re not being arrogant. Second, since half the Irish team is Kiwi - it’s very likely the Kiwi players were predicting a NZ SA World Cup final. Which they got spot on. Good on them!
163 Go to commentsAha. An Irishman with logic! Follow the flow: - Ireland peaks with a >80% win record between 2020 and 2023. And then… - crashes out of another QF at the WC; - Beat a poor French Team; - Beat 6N wooden spoonists Italy; - Play shite against eventual wooden spoonists Wales; - Lose against the most boring, “the worst English team ever” , a team widely regarded as unable to attack; - scrape through against Scotland. This article, No - Trimble, is on the money! Except for one glaring statement: _The Springboks have a few aces in the hole in this debate being the reigning world champions and official world number ones_ There is no debate, boys and girls. There it is. In black and white. “Reigning World Champions and OFFICIAL world number ones”. Come July, the overrated Andy Farrell and this overhyped team are going to enter into a world of hurt.
86 Go to commentsI’d like to know what homoerotic events Daniel enjoyed at 8th man. I clearly missed out!
19 Go to commentsThis article is missing some detail, like some actual context or info about what led to him abusing the ref.
2 Go to comments*They used to say that football is a gentleman sport watched by hooligans and rugby is a hooligan sport watched by gentlemen. How times have changed.*
3 Go to commentsexcept ot wasnt late wasnt late at all so dont know why you all saying its late he commits early and its your fault fir not paying attention
30 Go to commentsNot sure the Bulls need another average utility back in their ranks. Chamberlain has been ok for the Sharks but is by no means an X-Factor player. Bulls bought several utility backs which they barely use. A typical example would be Henry Immelman who plays mostly Fullback. The Bulls however have rarely played him this year and he has played wing or centre. Bulls want to build depth but seems like they have too many surplus players
1 Go to commentsABs lost against a side playing without a hooker - The guy playing, had one shoulder. Line outs were a gimme for the ABs, and the last 8 minutes 14 played 14 against a team that had been smashed 3 weeks in a row… Yet with all that possession, with all that territory, with all the advantages they actually had, especially in the last 8 minutes, they couldn’t buy a point. Those last 8 minutes determined if they outplayed the Boks or not. History will show that the Boks completely outplayed the ABs, especially in those last 8 minutes, the business end of any rugby match
227 Go to commentsWould’ve, could’ve, should’ve, didn’t.
227 Go to commentsKok will become a fan favourite
1 Go to commentsI am really looking forward to Leigh Halfpenny playing his first Super rugby game for the Crusaders Playing a long side his former Welsh and Scarlets team mate Johnny McNicoll.Johnny has been playing great, back in a Crusaders jersey.The attack has strengthened big time. Also looking forward to David Havili at 10. David is a class act, it also allows Dallas McLeod to remain at 12. A good thing.
1 Go to commentsIf he had stopped insisting on playing in the backrow, instead of wing, where everyone told him he should, he would have been a Bok years ago….
11 Go to comments‘Salads don’t win scrums’ 😂 I love that.
19 Go to comments