‘Hard’ for Wallabies’ Eddie Jones to stay without change, says coach’s assistant

Wallabies assistant coach Pierre-Henry Broncan has suggested Eddie Jones will choose to leave Australia if he does not believe the team can be successful, as speculation heightens Jones is on the verge of taking over as Japan’s next head coach.

The focus on Jones’s future has intensified following a report in Japanese media on Monday that he was set to return as coach of the Brave Blossoms, and that contract negotiations had been under way during the World Cup.

Broncan, who was brought onto the Wallabies coaching staff as a maul specialist earlier this year, speculated to French sports newspaper L’Équipe that Jones could leave the Australian setup if he thought the environment was not conducive to success.

“If he doesn’t have the means or if he feels that things will continue as before, it will be hard for him to stay,” he said. “If he senses a real desire from Rugby Australia to create a high-performance environment, I think he will be there.”

Yuichiro Fujii, national team director of the Japan Rugby Union, told Japanese media on Wednesday he did not know how much of the speculation around Jones was true when the team landed at Narita airport following their World Cup campaign in France. Japan finished third in their pool behind Argentina and England and were eliminated.

Fujii described his ideal coach to replace the outgoing Jamie Joseph. “Someone who can follow closely and work in an environment where the coaches can grow as well,” he said. Jones, who has a Japanese mother and wife, coached Japan between 2012 and and the 2015 World Cup, where his side upset South Africa.

The 63-year-old Australian remains under contract with the Wallabies, who recorded their worst ever World Cup result this month after losing to Wales and Fiji and being eliminated in the pool phase. He was appointed coach of the Wallabies in January on a deal that extends through to the 2027 World Cup, which will be hosted in Australia.

When reports emerged two weeks ago that Jones had interviewed for the Japan job, he denied them in a confrontation with reporters, and said he remained committed to the Wallabies. He said coaching Australia at the 2027 Rugby World Cup at home was “definitely an option”. Japanese media have reported a second interview with Jones is scheduled for November.

Rugby Australia chief executive Phil Waugh said Australia’s performance at the tournament was “very disappointing” and Jones’s position with the Wallabies would be decided in a post-World Cup review.

Broncan said the Wallabies’ recent performances showed the team lacked “collective experience”. “We saw the players who play in France, Will Skelton and Richie Arnold, had a much greater work ethic than the players who are in Australia,” he said.

“They are not used to working under pressure, to maintaining precision and concentration. They are used to working at high intensity, that’s not the problem, but it’s the precision that’s lacking. Tactically too, there are very few tacticians.”