Eddie Jones (rugby union)

Eddie Jones (born January 30 1960 in Burnie, Tasmania of a Japanese mother and an Australian father) is a rugby union coach and former player. He left the Queensland Reds after their worst position since the inception of the Super 12.

Coaching career

Eddie Jones coached the ACT Brumbies to their first ever Super 12 title in 2001 and was subsequently appointed as head coach of the Australian national rugby union team, the Wallabies. He took Australia to the final of the 2003 Rugby World Cup falling one match short losing to England in the final match.

In 2005, the Wallabies lost seven straight games and at the end of the Wallabies European tour had lost eight of their last nine matches. On December 2 2005 whilst having two more years left on his contract was terminated as the Wallabies head coach. While the Australian Rugby Union had ordered a report into the Wallabies after the season including a review of Jones's position as head coach, it has been speculated that the Wallabies' loss to Wales was why Jones was removed as head coach before the investigation had even begun. His win-loss ratio is is the lowest of any Wallabies coach.

Just over a month after Jones was relieved of his position as Wallabies head coach, he was signed to a three year deal to the Queensland Reds to take over as head coach. [http://foxsports.news.com.au/story/0,8659,17800122-23217,00.html] Jones had expressed interest in the job after current Reds coach Jeff Miller was advised his contract would not be renewed at the end of the 2006 season. [http://www.planet-rugby.com/News/story_47909.shtml] He spent the first half of 2006, helping out with the Saracens club in England. In 2007 he has since returned to Australia and is in his first year coaching the Queensland Reds in the extended Super 14 competition. He has been approached by the Fiji Rugby Union to join Fiji rugby as a technical advisor to the 2007 Rugby World Cup [http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=55610] . The Reds in 2007 finished bottom of the Super 14 table and had only managed two wins the entire season. Injury spells meant Jones at times was to do without up to 8 regulars to his starting team, including the loss of influential Wallabies fullback Chris Latham even before the season started. Jones hinted that he would probably never coach in Australia again, thus potentially closing the door on his long held ambition to return as coach of the Wallabies.

Advisory roles

In 2007, Jake White appointed Jones to be the technical adviser of the Springboks for the Rugby World Cup in France. Jones was credited as the brain behind the success of the South African Springboks side, which he helped lead to a 2007 World Cup Victory in France. Jones was an official part of the Springbok coaching team, but because he is not South African, he was not offered an official Springbok Rugby Blazer, instead Jones wore his tracksuit, which was a condition in his contract with SA Rugby prior to being appointed.

Since the World Cup Jones has been appointed as coaching director of Saracens F.C. in England and as an advisor to Suntory Sungoliath in Japan.

References

* [http://www.rugbyheaven.smh.com.au/news/international/wallabies-coach-sacked/2005/12/02/1133422073957.html "Eddie Jones sacked"] from "The Sydney Morning Herald"
* [http://www.planet-rugby.com/Teams/Australia/story_47763.shtml "Eddie Jones relieved of his post"] from Planet Rugby
* [http://www.theroar.com.au/2007/07/29/eddie-jones-gets-into-springboks-gear/ Eddie Jones on coaching the Springboks]

Persondata
NAME=Jones, Eddie
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION=rugby union coach and former player
DATE OF BIRTH=January 30, 1960
PLACE OF BIRTH=Burnie, Tasmania, Australia
DATE OF DEATH=
PLACE OF DEATH=