Eddie Jones has reiterated his commitment to Rugby Australia as coach with the aim to reviving the Wallabies as a force for the 2027 Rugby World Cup.
“I’m staying. I’ve always been committed to Australian rugby and want to leave it in a better place, that’s still the job,” Jones told a huge media crowd in Sydney today.
Jones said the coaching team in charge of Australia’s disappointing World Cup campaign had done a full review but a Rugby Australia review through independent consultants is still to come.
The RA review will ultimately determine where Australian rugby heads next after the Wallabies made their first pool stage exit at a World Cup.
“We’ve got a review going forward and let’s see what happens at the end of the review,” Jones said.
“I don’t control those things (staying on as coach). All you can do is coach. I went to the World Cup, came in for a short period and had to make a decision on the team and made the decision we had to go with the youths.
“Whilst the results in the World Cup weren’t the results we wanted, I’ve left the Australian team in a great position to go on to 2027. That judgment will be decided by the 2027 World Cup.”
Jones said his work ethic to upgrade and improve the Wallabies remained undimmed.
“I didn’t come back to Australia to have a holiday, sit down at Coogee Beach, eat fish and chips, have a nice flat white. It was always going to be a battle. When you’ve got a team that hasn’t done well for a long period of time, it’s always a battle,” he said.
