Eddie Jones will no longer serve as the Wallabies coach as Rugby Australia has accepted his resignation. This decision comes after the team’s disappointing performance in the World Cup in France.

On Tuesday, Rugby Australia (RA) announced that the troubled coach will be leaving his position with the national team and his last day will be on November 25th.

Rugby Australia expressed gratitude to Eddie for his dedication to the Wallabies until 2023 and sends him well wishes for his future pursuits.

The CEO of RA, Phil Waugh, will be hosting a press conference in Sydney on Tuesday afternoon.

Jones has left the team following a disastrous performance at the World Cup, where the Wallabies were unable to advance past the group stage, a first in the team’s history.

Jones finished his second term as head coach of Australian rugby with only two victories and seven losses, including significant defeats against Fiji and Wales.

After only 10 months of his five-year contract, he resigned from his position, leaving RA in need of a new coach to rebuild the team and the sport’s image before the 2027 Rugby World Cup, which will be held in their home country.

The RA stated that updates regarding the Wallabies coaching staff’s future will be announced at an appropriate time.

The 63-year-old was praised as the one to rescue the Wallabies when he was chosen by RA chairman, Hamish McLennan, as a “captain’s pick” following the removal of the previous leader, Dave Rennie.

In 2003, Jones led Australia to the World Cup final and was later fired in late 2019 after a string of unfavorable outcomes, despite taking England to the 2019 championship.

However, upon his return as the coach of the Wallabies, he made a puzzling series of choices. These included selecting a youthful and inexperienced team for the World Cup, as well as omitting the seasoned captain Michael Hooper and the skilled playmaker Quade Cooper.

The players from Australia were also surprised when Jones was connected to the coaching position for Japan. He claimed he had not been interviewed for the job just a few days before the start of the tournament in Paris.

Jones reaffirmed his dedication to leading the Wallabies until the 2027 World Cup, stating it two weeks ago.

However, over the weekend, he submitted his resignation to the RA leadership. It is rumored that Jones will leave his well-compensated contract without receiving any severance. He maintained that he did not have any other opportunities for an international position, including the vacant Japan role.

RA is likely to target Stephen Larkham, the World Cup champion, and Dan McKellar, both former Wallabies assistants, as potential replacements for Jones.

Larkham is currently coaching the ACT Brumbies, having replaced McKellar, who is now the head coach of the Leicester Tigers in the United Kingdom.

McKellar was Rennie’s forwards coach, and was believed to be viewed as next in line to succeed the New Zealander, but resigned this year when Jones was appointed to the top job.

Source: theguardian.com