Rugby World Cup: Winning the World Cup is just the start as Eddie Jones’ best is still to come
With two years still to run on his contract with England, Jones won’t come cheaply but if he can do the same for the Wallabies as he’s done for England, the crowds will flock back and it’ll be money well spent.
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Anyone who reckons winning this weekend’s World Cup final with England will be the pinnacle of Eddie Jones’ coaching career should think again, because he’s only getting started.
That’s the blunt message from those who know him best and it’s one that hopefully Rugby Australia are listening to as they decide on a replacement for Michael Cheika.
“He’s definitely got more to come,” Jones’ Aussie assistant Scott Wisemantel told The Daily Telegraph.
“He’s always looking at what’s going to happen, what’s the trend in a year, two years’ time, where’s the game going and how he can suck more out of the game.
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“He’s just got an insatiable appetite to learn so he’s really diligent with his homework, which is why he watches all sports to try and take whatever the common threads of success are.
“The other thing people don’t understand is that he’s got a wicked sense of humour, he’s actually a funny little fella. He’s very good value.”
With two years still to run on his contract with England, Jones won’t come cheaply but if he can do the same for the Wallabies as he’s done for England, the crowds will flock back and it’ll be money well spent.
When Jones was appointed to the job four years ago, English rugby was in total disarray, having failed to make it past the pool stages of a World Cup they were hosting.
The genius of Jones is that he always kept faith in what he was doing even when the doubters were calling for his head.
“Three weeks ago, we were hopeless and I was going to get the sack. But we don’t tend to listen to that noise,” he said.
“We started out the first day wanting to be the best team in the world, that’s where we wanted to go.
“It's all to happen on Saturday, isn't it? That's the great thing. We are like any team, we are a bit anxious, a bit nervous but also very excited about the prospect of playing even better.”
The current South African coach Rassie Erasmus is another in awe of Jones, who was hired as an assistant to the Springboks team that won the 2007 World Cup, admitting that the Australian has the knack to mess with the heads of the opposition.
“Everybody knows he is a workaholic, and he gets the best out of players but I sometimes think the way Eddie engages with the opposition coaches through the media is very clever, and takes off the brilliance of his coaching,” Erasmus said.
“Sometimes other coaches get involved and talk to Eddie, forgetting he stays on task, coaching his team, planning, tactical work, leadership skills, video sessions, gameplan.
“That is one of Eddie’s masterstrokes. I enjoy people like that, as it is another skill that a coach has. I, for example, can’t do that.”
Originally published as Rugby World Cup: Winning the World Cup is just the start as Eddie Jones’ best is still to come
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