Eddie Jones close to rejoining Japan – reports

Eddie Jones is the clear favourite to take over from Jamie Joseph as Japan’s new head coach after the 2023 Rugby World Cup, according to reports in the Japanese media.

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According to the Planet Rugby website, the current Wallabies boss has been linked with a return to Japan after it was alleged on the eve of the Wales game that he held a Zoom interview with Japanese officials ahead of the global tournament.

Eddie Jones has consistently pledged his commitment to Australian rugby since the story broke, but has crucially refused to deny that talks did indeed take place.

And Japanese sports website Sponichi has now claimed that the 63-year-old is now close to agreeing a deal as Joseph’s successor.

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Claims that Jones held a Zoom interview prior to the World Cup angered Wallabies fans, given that he only returned to the hot seat in January.

The 63-year-old, who is in his second stint as the country’s head coach, signed a five-year deal which took him to the end of the 2027 global tournament.

He has since been called a traitor and this story will only add to the concern that Eddie Jones is set to abandon Australian rugby.

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The Wallabies struggled under previous boss Dave Rennie but there were signs of improvement during the 2022 end-of-year tour.

That didn’t prevent him from being sacked, however, as Rugby Australia decided to bring back Jones.

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The new boss chose to rip up the team and drop several experienced players for the World Cup, including Michael Hooper and Quade Cooper.

It did not yield the desired results as they exited the global tournament at the pool stages for the first time ever after defeats to Fiji and Wales.

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