Jones extends England contract and will help pick his successor
England handed Eddie Jones a two-year contract extension as head coach yesterday, while also outlining a strategy for his exit in advance of the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
After guiding England to 22 wins in his 23 Tests in charge, the 57-year-old Australian was rewarded for transforming the fortunes of the national team by getting a new deal through 2021.
As part of the deal, the Rugby Football Union has planned a succession process that will likely see a new coach appointed by the end of the 2019-20 season, to work under Jones until the summer of 2021. The new coach would then lead England into the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
“It’s a unique situation in world rugby to do this,” Jones said. “I have been in other teams that have been successful, and the transitionto the next coach hasn’ t been successful. You have seen the team fall away. At my age, I can see a great situation in being able to bring a coach through.”
The RFU said this “robust succession planning process” was in place in an effort to avoid “the historically disruptive pattern of resetting the coaching team and performance system every four years”.
“Eddie will be a big part of this process,” RFU chief executive Steve Brown said, “and wants to ensure a smooth handover to his successor.”
England may look to promote from within like New Zealand has done for the past decade, potentially through Jones’ assistant coaches, Steve Borthwick or Paul Gustard. Two other possible candidates are directors of rugby at English clubs – Mark Mccall (Saracens) and Rob Baxter (Exeter).
Jones made it clear who would be in charge during the transition period. “As long as I am the head coach, I have the ultimate say,” he said. “It’s that simple.”
Until then, Jones is set to become the longest-serving England coach since Clive Woodward, who led the country to World Cup success in 2003. England have risen from No 8 to No 2 in the world rankings under Jones and are regarded as challengers to New Zealand for the 2019 World Cup.
Jones’ new contract has a performance-based break clause based on England’s showing in 2019.