Eddie Jones eyes huge Japanese rankings surge with 'new style'
Japan’s returning head coach Eddie Jones has said that there is “no reason” why his side cannot break into the top four of the world rankings.
The 64-year-old is credited with building Japan’s most successful team of the professional era during his first stint with the Brave Blossoms, famously beating South Africa in the 2015 World Cup.
Jamie Joseph took over from him and guided the side to the quarter-finals of their own World Cup in 2019, the first time they had done so.
Following a seven-year spell with England, where he won three Guinness Six Nations titles and a World Cup silver medal, and a brief and thoroughly unsuccessful second term with Australia, Jones was named Japan coach for the second time in December.
The Australian laid bare his plans for Japan to “jump” into the top four of the world rankings recently, despite their current rank of twelfth, with a style that “suits Japanese instincts”.
“There’s no reason why we can’t jump into the top four,” Jones said to reporters at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan in Tokyo.
“We need to create a new style of play that is adventurous, that suits Japanese instincts, that is attacking.”
Jones also discussed how he wants to create the “next rugby Ohtani,” referring to Major League Baseball’s Shohei Ohtani, who is a two-way player for the Los Angeles Dodgers, meaning he is an elite pitcher and batter.
“It’s about how we can make young players be really ambitious in wanting to be the best player they can and create the next rugby Ohtani,” he said.
Jones did not shirk away from addressing his Australia tenure, where he quit the role shortly after failing to make the World Cup knockout stages for the first time in the Wallabies’ history. Despite this ill-fated ten months at the helm of Australia, he said he doesn’t have any regrets.
“I tried to do my best in a short period of time,” he said.
“And what I think I’ve left Australia is a young squad that’s capable of doing well.
“Sometimes you got to leave things in a better place and maybe you take responsibility for the failure, which is okay.”
Jones’ first assignment with Japan will be to mastermind a victory over England on June 22 in Tokyo.
Comments on RugbyPass
“While Sotutu should start at No.8 for the All Blacks against England, but it’s only in that arena that he can prove just how good he really is.” And that my friends is where simply hasnt shone despite multiple opportunities. Even in this performance you can see what did him in in the test arena..he almost always still runs at the opposition almost ramrod upright making him easier to stop than it should be.
1 Go to commentsShould have been 0-0 and a message from SR CEO to both teams - “don’t worry about turning up next year”.
3 Go to commentsGreat work Owen Franks. A great of this team, scoring his first try for the Crusaders since 2010.He was beaming, justifiably. A fine win, he and the rest did the job up front.
1 Go to commentsDanny Care. Lang in die tand.
1 Go to commentsBig empty stadium does nothing for atmosphere but munster are playing well with solid performance
1 Go to commentsYes, Fiji can win the World Cup! With that belief plus their christian faith🙏 and hard work it is achievable. Great article. Ian Duncan Fiji resident 1981-84
2 Go to commentsInteresting comments about Touch. England’s hosting the Touch World Cup this year and the numbers have exploded since their last World Cup in 2019, something like 70% more teams and 40 nations taking part. And England Touch have made a big thing about how many universities are in their BUCS University Touch Championship as well as Sport England membership. Can only see this growing even more domestically as more people become aware of it
10 Go to comments“Cortez Ratima is light years ahead of anyone on current form, while TJ Perenara has also skyrocketed into contention following the unfortunate injury to the talented Cam Roigard.” At last some sanity. Hitherto so many pundits have been wittering on about Finlay Christie to the point one wondered if they were observing a FC in a parallel universe where the FC they saw wasnt just the mediocre Shayne Philpott project of Fosters hapless AB reign in the real world. Ratima, Perenara and Fakatava are the ONLY logical 9s for Razor now Roigard is crocked.
3 Go to commentsThis game was just as painful as the Hurricanes game. It was real fork-in-the-eye stuff.
3 Go to commentsNow if they could just fire the Crusaders ground PA guy who likes to play his dance music and just loves the sound of his own voice the entire game, even when play is going on. And I thought their brass band thing of a few years ago was bad.
5 Go to commentsUnfortunately when you lose by far the two form players this season in Roigard and Aumua, you're left replacing two game changing Tanks with a couple of pea-shooters. Which is also about the speed of TJs pass.
4 Go to commentsBit rich coming from the guy with zero loyalty to anyone or any team, including happily taking a players place in a league world cup squad because well, SBW wanted to play in it and thus an already named player got told he was no longer going. And airing stuff like this, which may or may not be true, doesn't exactly say you're a stand up guy either SBW. Just looking to keep his name in lights as usual.
38 Go to commentsTamati Tua. …the Taniwha NPC midfielder. Ollie Sapsford, Hawkes Bay NPC midfielder…doing well
4 Go to commentsFiji deserve to be in the rugby championship, fans love seeing the Fijian national team play, the Fijian Drua is a wonderful idea but the players can still be stolen to play for NZ and AUS…
2 Go to commentsThe first concern for this afternoon are wheather forecast…
1 Go to commentsWhy cant I watch Rugby games please?
1 Go to commentsBeautiful shot from Finau, end of story. Gutted for Shaun Stevenson though.
4 Go to commentsThe Chiefs definitely didn’t win ugly. They had the superior scrum, a dominant lineout, and their defence was excellent once the Waratahs scored their two tries (thanks to some lucky refereeing calls mind you). They put pressure on the Waratahs lineout throughout the game, and the mind boggles as to why the referee did not award a yellow card or a penalty try against the Waratahs for repeated scrum infringements on their own try line before Narawa’s first try. And the Chiefs were slick with their passing and running angles on attack. It was a dominant performance all round, even with many questionable refereeing decisions.
1 Go to commentsWasnt late. Ref 2 assistants andTMO all saw it so who are you to say it was?
4 Go to commentsAre the Brumbies playing the Blues twice in a row?
4 Go to comments