Eddie Jones is on the brink of agreeing an eight-year deal to coach the United States in a move that will have knock-on implications for the search for the next Wallabies coach.
As international coaches jockey to firm up their post-World Cup plans, with Scott Robertson emerging as a strong contender for the England job, it appears the Australian has been courted by USA Rugby to coach the Eagles through until the 2031 World Cup, which will be held on US soil.
It is a big play for the governing body which, only two years ago, filed for bankruptcy amid the Covid-19 epidemic. The Eagles failed to qualify for next year’s tournament. It is a fix-it job for which Jones is well-suited, having laid the foundation for a competitive Japan Test side in his time there between 2012 and 2015.
It is also a big call for Jones, who has clearly cooled on the notion of an Australian homecoming after finishing up an eight-year stint with England.
The deal is not set in stone, with Georgia – fresh from beating Wales at the weekend – also courting the former Randwick hooker, the Herald understands.
But it appears Rugby Australia will miss out on the chance to repatriate its most successful and experienced homegrown coach when Jones’s time with England comes to an end.
Eddie Jones and England’s Marcus Smith after the side’s 25-25 draw with New Zealand.Credit:AP
The news is not a complete surprise. Jones’s experience in Australia during England’s July tour appeared to be an eye-opening one. He was booed in the stands by drunk Wallabies supporters in the deciding Test and saw firsthand the structural challenges facing the code.
It puts the heat on RA’s rugby committee, who have been slow to work up a list of potential successors for Dave Rennie, should the board decide not to extend the New Zealander’s contract.
Rennie has wedged RA to an extent, saying he would need clarity on his future by early next year in order to not miss out on the four-yearly changing of the guard among the top 15 Test nations. Rennie does not have a political bone in his body. He was telling it as he saw it.
But extension talk is impossible to justify at the end of a season with nine losses from 13 Tests, as it stands. If Australia lose to Wales next week, it will be their worst year on record since 1958 where 10 or more Tests have been played.
Rennie and Jake Gordon after the Wallabies’ loss to Ireland.Credit:AP
Saturday’s 13-10 loss to Ireland was in the vein of the France game, not the Italy game, with the Wallabies taking the world’s top-ranked side to the brink. It is proof the Wallabies have a game in them to challenge every top team but continue to struggle with execution.
Rennie will not be sacked – barring a calamity against Wales – but bridging the gap between opportunities and execution will become the preoccupation of RA’s rugby committee. But the top brass remain incensed by the Italy loss and will want a scalp from somewhere, for what was perceived as a humiliation in Florence. Never mind chairman Hamish McLennan and chief executive Andy Marinos’ decision to lock in two money-earning Tests (Scotland, Wales) outside the three-week autumn internationals window.
Going on Rennie’s comments and the side’s record to date, it is unlikely he will coach Australia beyond 2023. Wallabies supporters would hope, then, that planning is well underway to select the next target.
It is underway elsewhere, evidenced by Jones’ negotiations with the USA, plus reports on Sunday that England are in talks with Robertson, who has emerged as the chief rival to homegrown candidate Steve Borthwick.
Scott Robertson has won four Super Rugby titles and two Super Rugby NZ crowns with the Crusaders.Credit:Getty
Many will be surprised by Robertson entertaining interest from England, given public perception he is the logical next choice to succeed Ian Foster with the All Blacks.
An intriguing report last week, however, by the New Zealand Herald’s Gregor Paul, contended that New Zealand Rugby’s ‘kingmaker’, Joe Schmidt, had refused to work with Robertson when he was floated as an alternative to Foster earlier in the year.
Jamie Joseph looms as an option, as well as Foster himself, should the All Blacks win in France next year.
Spurned twice already by his home union, then, Robertson’s patience could be running out. If the RFU opt for Borthwick over the championship-winning Crusaders coach, could it be Australia’s turn to pounce? It would be 2007 all over again, when RA poached the unsuccessful challenger to then-New Zealand coach Graham Henry, Robbie Deans.
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