Eddie Jones attacks Rugby Australia and blames mysterious ‘other forces’ for coaching disaster as he prepares for reunion with eight of his Wallabies
- Jones says ‘other forces’ forced him to leave Wallabies
- He said his role would be in jeopardy if he did not quit
- He insisted he wanted to change the system but couldn’t
Eddie Jones has declared there were ‘other forces at play’ forcing him to give up the role of Wallabies coach as he delivered another parting shot at the state of the code in Australia.
In Wales he was tasked with coaching the Barbarians side, which included eight of the players who featured in the most unsuccessful Wallabies World Cup campaign in history. Jones said he had to quit because he felt his role would be “compromised.”
He said Rugby Australia officials did not share the vision he had for the team and the sport, so he walked away from his five-year contract with no other job to go to, despite ties with Japan disrupting the World Cup efforts .
“I went in with a plan and got a commitment from Rugby Australia as to what that would look like,” Jones said.
“When the unity of where we were going wasn’t the same – not because of Rugby Australia’s lack of desire, but because there were other forces at play – then the only thing I could do was resign.”
Eddie Jones has fired a parting shot at Rugby Australia, blaming ‘other forces’ for his departure
Jones said Rugby Australia officials did not share the vision he had for the team (Photo: Wallabies shine in their World Cup loss to Fiji)
Jones said he wanted to change the system, which was one of the main reasons he chose such an inexperienced World Cup squad.
But officials didn’t see his vision.
“Obviously the results are disappointing, but I went there with a plan to change Australian rugby, involving not just the team but the system that puts it together.
“If you’ve had 20 years of unsuccessful rugby, it’s because of the system. I went in with a plan to change the system, but that can’t be changed.
‘I had the feeling that my job would be at risk for the next four years, but I was not prepared for that.’
Jones has picked six players, including Rob Leota and Rob Valetini from the Wallabies team, who played in the 40-6 hiding against Wales that sealed Australia’s World Cup fate.
Jones said he wanted to change the system, but officials didn’t see it his way
Prop Taniela Tupou and Izaia Perese, also in Jones’ France squad, will also be in the starting line-up on Saturday, with former Wallabies captain Michael Hooper, who Jones did not take to the World Cup, also in the kit.