Former England rugby coach Eddie Jones says he is ready to coach the Wallabies again – or anyone else for that matter – as he prepares to “scrap” for his next job.
Jones was sacked on Tuesday as England coach by the Rugby Football Union following a review into the November series that ended with the team being booed off the pitch at Twickenham after a resounding 27-13 defeat by a weakened South Africa. Jones said afterwards he did not care what anybody else thought.
Eddie Jones was sacked on Tuesday as England coach by the Rugby Football Union.Credit:AP
Jones’ ultimate job would be to coach South Sydney in the NRL, but the Rabbitohs are more than happy with current coach Jason Demetriou.
Jones most recently worked with new Manly coach Anthony Seibold (who was an England coach assistant), helping him revive his career when he was on the scrap heap.
Jones has already been linked to a job in America, as well as a return to the Wallabies, where he coached from 2001 to 2005. He won’t rule anything out. What is clear is that he won’t be changing his style, which played a role in his sacking despite having the best record of any English coach.
“In this job I’ve learnt it’s impossible to avoid being moved on,” Jones told this column, speaking for the first time since his split with England. “It comes with the gig. But I’m proud of what we accomplished in my time here [with England] and I wish I had the opportunity to finish what I started.“
Jones makes no apology for his approach as England coach, which attracted plenty of criticism.
“All the critics are having their say,” he said. “My only response is that I have coached a certain way my whole career and I’m happy with that, and I’m not about to change anything when it comes to my dedication, expectations and determination to get things done. I’m not going to get into anything more than that.
“As for my next step, well I think everyone knows I love a scrap and I’m up for whatever challenge is next. I’m open to looking at everything in rugby and I’ve made no secret of my wish to give the NRL a go, too. Nothing is off the table. Nothing. It’s all about the right job at the right time and I’ll look at it all.“
Vic and stick: Radley won’t talk to rival clubs
Victor Radley is unpredictable on and off the field, but when it comes to his future he is rock solid with the Roosters. Radley has taken the remarkable step of telling his management to get a deal done with the Roosters without even talking to other clubs.
He is off contract at the end of next season and is free to negotiate now, but wants a deal with the club where he learnt his trade.
Victor Radley has told his management to get a deal done with the Roosters without even talking to other clubs.Credit:Getty
“We love Victor and he loves the club,” Roosters chairman Nick Politis said. “His manager [Sam Ayoub] called me and said Victor wants to do a deal and didn’t want to play the market. He is a Rooster and we want to keep him. It means a lot when he says things like that.”
Radley has been in the headlines for a couple of off-field incidents, but only when he has stepped in when he felt an injustice had occurred. As a rare home-grown talent, he is important to the fabric of the club.
Fatty not ready to hang up microphone just yet
Television legend Paul ‘Fatty’ Vautin seriously considered retirement before he agreed to a new two-year deal with Channel Nine last week.
Vautin is a Nine icon, having hosted The Footy Show for decades, before moving into calling matches. His career has spanned three decades, but he told friends he thought his time had come. Vautin’s close mate Peter Sterling had his first season away from football last year and the man who Vautin called so many games with, Ray Warren, also finished up after a remarkable career.
That played on Vautin’s mind, and only Phil Gould remains as a regular from his early days of commentary.
Paul Vautin has agreed to a new two-year deal with Channel Nine.Credit:Getty
“I thought long and hard about giving it away,” Vautin said. “I suppose because of what Sterlo did. He was still going great and he decided he’d had enough. I always thought we’d go out together, and maybe that’s why it was on my mind. “But the reason I decided to go on again is simple — I’m actually really enjoying it. I leave the commentary stint with a smile on my face.“
Channel Nine knew Vautin was close to quitting so executives flew to Brisbane to take him out for lunch.
“The bosses Brent Williams, Simon Fordham and [Andrew] ‘Buck’ Rodgers took me out for a nice lunch in New Farm,” Vautin said. “They said they wanted me and, after 31 years, they felt that I have a contribution to make. I guess they wooed me. And you know what, I’m glad they did.
“I get to work with [Andrew] ‘Joey’ Johns, who in my view is the best there is right now, and Cameron Smith, who has the potential to be anything he wants to be as an expert. You can see why he was the GOAT as a player. When you look at the talent all over the place … we’ve got the best coaches [Gould], the Origin coaches [Billy Slater and Brad Fittler], Origin captains and greats [Paul Gallen, Darren Lockyer, Johnathan Thurston] … it’s really the who’s who of rugby league and I’m happy I can be part of it.“
Vautin remains a priority in the Nine coverage and the network is delighted he signed on.
“Fatty is without doubt one of the great characters of Australian sport,” Williams said. “His unique broadcasting style is engaging, insightful and always highly entertaining, which makes him an integral part of our league coverage.”
Todd almighty?
There are plenty of Todd Greenberg’s former peers who are tipping him to be the big winner out of the ongoing dramas enveloping Cricket Australia.
As head of the players association, he has an honourable job that would appear to be a stepping stone to the top gig in the sport.
The current CA administration is still haunted by the ghosts of sandpaper gate – not to mention the sacking of former coach Justin Langer and former captain Tim Paine – leaving Greenberg with what could be a rails run at what was once the best job in sport in the country.
Greenberg had been largely invisible in recent times but shot into the spotlight when he sat by his wife’s side on 60 Minutes as she bravely opened up on camera about her battle with alcoholism, which had only previously been addressed in print.
One man who won’t be interested is former Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland. He is enjoying life as the boss of Australian golf, and the sport is on the up thanks to Greg Norman shaking up the world with his LIV Golf rebel tour.
Sutherland looked more than comfortable when I bumped into him in a corporate area halfway up the first hole at the Masters at Augusta in April.
Stream come true
It was with tongue firmly planted in cheek that we dubbed the Dolphins the “Kayo Dolphins” recently.
The reason for calling them that was because they were viewed as more palatable to the News Corp-owned Broncos than a new NRL team west of Brisbane, and the team was being brought in to sell subscriptions to Foxtel streaming service Kayo.
Now their new ground at Redcliffe has a naming rights sponsor and, surprise, surprise, it’s Kayo. Seems we may have been on to something.
Great strides
The merger of Western Suburbs and the Balmain Tigers in 1999 has never been easy for either side, but the rebranding of the all-powerful Wests group has been inclusive and well thought out.
It will be made official tomorrow, but the new name of the group will be Holman Barnes.
Wests hired Brilliant Logic to canvass the community.
“Our new identity is a tribute to two western sydney greats,” the company said in a statement. “Beyond their masterful rugby league talents, Keith Holman and Keith Barnes were men of integrity. They achieved acknowledgment for their contributions both on and off the field. They were men of honour, of pride, of commitment. We pay homage to their courage and determination, to their unflagging spirit, to their ability to bring people together in support of their team.“
Barnes and the Holman family are said to be chuffed.
Arko gets call-up
Sea Eagles players doing off-season rehabilitation got the shock of their lives this week when they were joined in the club’s new centre of excellence by none other than the Sea Eagles’ 93-year-old godfather Ken Arthurson.
Arthurson was due to attend a presentation at Manly Leagues Club last Saturday night when the club’s all-time local juniors side was announced. A painful shoulder and neck injury suffered while surfing at Southport on the Gold Coast recently prevented him from attending.
Sea Eagles chief executive Tony Mestrov heard of Arko’s plight and arranged for the club’s medical and rehabilitation team to assist. X-rays revealed a chipped bone in a shoulder, but Arthurson said there has been a noticeable improvement since he had started receiving treatment.
Well done, Manly. Those who dug the well should never be forgotten.
Bunny business
Souths fans can expect an early Christmas present this week. Provided there are no last-minute problems, they are hoping to announce stars Latrell Mitchell, Damien Cook and Cody Walker have signed new deals. It’s a vote of confidence for second-year coach Jason Demetriou and management.
League of his own
David Middleton is a self-confessed league nerd. And we should be thankful for him and his annual reviews. His 36th edition is out this week.
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