Australia ponder swoop for Jones to ‘weaponise’ axed England coach for World Cup
AUSTRALIA are considering a sensational move to sign Eddie Jones and ‘weaponise’ the sacked England coach for next year’s World Cup.
Without a non-compete clause in Jones’s severance deal when his contract was terminated on Tuesday, the Australian is free to join another team and could come back to haunt the RFU.
He revealed at a corporate lunch last week that he is ‘looking for a job’ — and a return home to Sydney would send fear down the corridors of power at Twickenham. Rugby Australia chairman Hamish McClennan revealed to The Mail on Sunday that the Wallabies are looking at how they could parachute Jones into their plans for France 2023.
McClennan would not be drawn on the specifics of a role but Jones’s experience could set him up to work as a director of rugby alongside head coach Dave Rennie.
‘Eddie is clearly a massive talent and campaigner in World Cups,’ said McClennan. ‘We’ve got Dave Rennie in place but we need to think how we can weaponise these recent events for Australia if Eddie wants to come home.’
Jones has reached three World Cup finals in four attempts, winning one, and is desperate to end his career with another title.
The 62-year-old was a divisive figure in English rugby and the RFU made a snap decision to sack him after the disastrous autumn campaign.
Australia the host British and Irish Lions in 2025, before staging the World Cup in 2027 and Jones, who last coached the Wallabies in 2005, would surely relish the challenge of a homecoming.
‘I’m surprised this has happened,’ said McLennan. ‘Is Australia ready for Eddie? He is the prodigal coaching son. For the most part, people love him.’
Jones’s tactical nous has been
widely praised but he was accused of running a ‘culture of fear’ before his seven years with England came to a sudden end last week.
Richard Cockerill was made interim coach on Tuesday morning and given a mandate to prepare the team for the Six Nations. He was at the Gtech Community Staium on Friday night to watch London Irish’s defeat by Montpellier but his future is still shrouded in uncertainty.
The RFU are trying to negotiate
Steve Borthwick’s release from Leicester but have yet to agree a compensation package with the Tigers, who have found themselves in a powerful bargaining position.
At a delayed press conference on Friday afternoon, Borthwick refused to engage on discussions about England but revealed he had addressed the speculation with his squad ahead of today’s game against Leicester.
Leicester and England scrum-half Jack van Poortvliet, who sent Jones a message after he was sacked, said: ‘Steve addressed the squad about the rumour earlier in the week. We had that chat and then that was it for us. We focused straightaway on that challenge against Ospreys.’
Borthwick insisted that he will still be in charge of Leicester for next week’s game against Clermont, but the RFU will be keen to put him in place by January to begin preparations for the Six Nations.