(Reuters) – Eddie Jones, the recently resigned Australia coach, has expressed his belief that the England rugby team has shown no signs of progress since he was sacked last year. Jones, who will be leading the Barbarians in their match against Wales on Saturday, led England to the final of the 2019 Rugby World Cup and secured three Six Nations titles.
“I had a successful tenure with England, spanning seven years, with the highest winning percentage for a coach. It was ultimately time for a change, as decided by the RFU, and I accept that,” Jones stated in an interview with the Telegraph. “However, what’s interesting is that the team hasn’t shown improvement. We reached the final in 2019 but were defeated in the semi-final in 2023.
“If I were to criticize my coaching, like anyone would, I always aspire for a team that can win the World Cup. I have no interest in a team that can merely compete at a World Cup,” Jones added. He went on to commend his successor, Steve Borthwick, saying, “I believe Steve has done an excellent job, a truly commendable job.”
“He has reverted back to the traditional English style of rugby, but I was attempting to take it beyond that, and unfortunately, I failed. Nevertheless, I would rather attempt to do so than not,” Jones expressed. “When you engage in that particular physically demanding brand of rugby, you need to have some x-factor in your kick return and the rest of your game. That is what I was striving for with England – a touch of distinctiveness. That moment where you receive a poor kick and are able to seize the opportunity, making the opposing team pay.”
Despite Australia’s unceremonious group stage exit in this year’s World Cup, Jones refused to take sole responsibility for the outcome. “If a team fails to produce a winning record for 20 years, then it’s not solely the coach’s fault, right? It’s the system. The system needs to change,” Jones insisted. “I chose to undertake a challenging role with specific conditions. When those conditions weren’t met, I made the decision to discontinue my role.
“If people want to attribute blame to me for everything, that’s fine. I have no control over that,” Jones concluded.
(Reporting by Trevor Stynes, editing by Ed Osmond)
