Rugby Australia was being urged to find a job for sacked England coach Eddie Jones before the ink was dry on a likely $1.5 million severance agreement with the RFU.
World Cup-winning Wallaby Simon Poidevin, a Randwick stablemate of Jones, said the 62-year-old should be hired as Dave Rennie’s technical director leading into next year’s World Cup, or as Rennie’s successor after that.
Sources close to RA say Australia is interested in talking with Jones and the Herald understands there is no non-compete clause in his deal with the RFU. Jones will walk away with a payout worth a minimum of $1.3 million and nothing on his books for the new year.
RA chief executive Andy Marinos confirmed that Rennie would remain the Wallabies coach, on Wednesday telling the Herald: “We have said consistently that Dave is contracted through to the World Cup and will be the coach, and that’s our position going forward.”
But two separate reviews into the team’s results and the litany of injuries this season will be conducted over the summer break and could spell changes to Rennie’s program. Despite some cool heads on the board’s rugby committee, the union’s top brass remain angered by the Wallabies’ historic loss to Italy on last month’s spring tour.
“[Jones’] most valuable input would be a sounding board for Dave Rennie and his relatively young coaching staff. He’s been through it all.”
Simon Poidevin
In that context, Jones’s sacking this week has presented an unexpected opportunity for Marinos and RA chairman Hamish McLennan. Poidevin said it was time to bring home the abrasive and successful coach.
“I think RA have made it clear they respect Dave Rennie taking the team through to the 2023 World Cup,” Poidevin said. “That doesn’t stop a guy of Eddie’s experience, like he did [at the 2007 World Cup] with South Africa, coming in to provide his expertise. He helped the Springboks get that victory. That’s an option which Rugby Australia should be thinking about with Eddie.
“His most valuable input would be a sounding board for Dave Rennie and his relatively young coaching staff. He’s been through it all. He knows the challenges of knockout tournaments. In France it’s going to be highly intense given the number of quality teams around the world now.”
It is a scenario with plenty of appeal on paper but observers would point to the disastrous installation of Scott Johnson over the top of Michael Cheika in 2019 as an example of it having the opposite effect. Cheika resented Johnson’s presence and later said he should have resigned when presented with the arrangement.
Dave Rennie is safe as Wallabies coach, Rugby Australia CEO Andy Marinos said.Credit:AP
Rennie is a much more collaborative operator and the arrangement would be temporary, but sources close to the coach on Wednesday indicated the New Zealander would not countenance having Jones foisted upon him.
Nevertheless, the rugby committee are understood to be considering the use of an independent selector and Jones has close and longstanding relationships with Rennie’s two closest allies in Australia: general manager Chris Webb and attack coach Scott Wisemantel, who was Jones’s right-hand man with England in 2018 and 2019.
Jones has been in talks to coach the USA Eagles on a long-term deal from 2024, but he would also be one of the top three contenders to take over from Rennie if he departs after next year’s tournament.
“If he doesn’t want to come over for a World Cup position with the Wallabies, then it should be foot down by Rugby Australia to sign him to coach the Wallabies [in 2024] and try and win the World Cup in 2027,” Poidevin said.
Wallabies wrecking ball Taniela Tupou injured his Achilles on the spring tour.Credit:Getty
“You’ve got the [British and Irish Lions] series in 2025 and a World Cup in 2027. You’ve got a very structurally sound Super Rugby competition across our region. He’s a guy who has a very high standard on high performance. We’ve got high performance markers starting to appear everywhere in Australian rugby.”
Meanwhile, Marinos revealed the details of the end of season review process looking at the Wallabies’ season, which saw Rennie’s win rate sink to 38 per cent and more than 40 players sit out Tests due to injury.
The main review will be conducted by former Olympic rower Bo Hansen, who runs a leading consultancy in sports high performance. Hansen was one of the three-member panel that reviewed the Wallabies’ 2019 season and Rugby World Cup campaign, and his team will conduct interviews with players and staff in coming weeks.
Marinos said a second review into the Wallabies’ injury toll would be conducted by former World Rugby chief medical officer Dr Martin Raftery and high-performance consultant Glenn Stewart.
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