RFU should hang on to Jones – provided he still has hunger
England’s head coach has largely succeeded in turning the team into serial winners, so a contract extension to 2023 would appear to be the natural progression
In his final media appearance on Saturday, after England had clinched the Triple Crown with victory over Wales to keep alive their Guinness Six Nations title hopes, Eddie Jones signed off with the hint of a smile. Asked if he would soon be holding talks with Bill Sweeney, the Rugby Football Union chief executive, to discuss his future as head coach, Jones said: “I think we’ve got dinner organised in a couple of weeks, so we may be able to chat about it. It must be his shout. I’ll take the Triple Crown to show him.”
It was the kind of light-hearted quip that was once commonplace but which has become increasingly rare from Jones since the World Cup final defeat by South Africa in November. Jones has had the appearance of a man who has not enjoyed much of the past six weeks, yet on the pitch his team have been flying. It has been one of the bewildering contradictions of an odd championship campaign that is now limping to a finish because of the coronavirus outbreak. It has also introduced an element of doubt into what should effectively be straightforward negotiations between Jones and Sweeney over another two-year extension to take his tenure to the 2023 World Cup in France.
For the RFU, it would seem a simple numbers game. Is it prepared to meet Jones’s financial demands for an extension? His contract expires at the end of next year and, given there was no break clause following England’s relatively successful campaign in Japan, it is understandable that the governing body did not rush to sign a new deal before taking the temperature after this Six Nations.
The RFU knows that Jones comes with baggage. There has been a high churn rate in his backroom staff, there have been spats with clubs and he has little time for RFU politics. Controversial public statements, including the criticism of referee Ben O’keeffe on Saturday, have caused the union embarrassment at times, particularly given that the Six Nations represents a shop window for the game. There is little sign of a coaching succession plan in place, which had been originally part of his brief in 2016. Jones’s budget overspend of almost £900,000 two years ago came at a time when the governing body was having to make significant spending cuts. As The Sunday Telegraph reported on the eve of the World Cup, the RFU had to turn to the City to raise funds to cover the costs of the campaign.
Yet the most important numbers will be England’s win ratio under Jones. Since the Australian took charge in 2015, England have won 42 out of 54 Test matches, a win ratio of almost 78 per cent. It is a ratio bettered only by New Zealand, on 84 per cent. That success rate has included a Grand Slam (2016), a Six Nations title (2017), a World Cup final (2019), and now a Triple Crown this season. England are now favourites for a third championship in five years when their fixture against Italy is rearranged, following France’s defeat by Scotland on Sunday.
The RFU hired Jones to make England consistent winners and, although he narrowly failed to deliver the World Cup he had set his sights on, aside from the defeat by France in Paris there has been significant progress during this championship to suggest there has been renewed vigour behind the scenes. The recruitment of