Eddie Jones says Rugby Australia officials wouldn’t back his plans for Wallabies changes

As he picked a host of Wallabies to play for the Barbarians, former coach Eddie Jones has delivered another broadside to Australian rugby officials.

Eddie Jones said he felt he had no option but to quit as Wallabies coach. Picture: Ryan Hiscott/Getty Images for Barbarians

Eddie Jones has declared there were “other forces at play” that forced him to quit the Wallabies coaching role as he delivered another parting shot at the state of the code in Australia.

In Wales to coach the Barbarians side, which will include eight of the players who took part 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 didn’t share the vision he had for the team and the sport so he walked away from his five-year deal without another job to go to despite links to Japan disrupting the World Cup efforts.

“I went in with a plan and had a commitment from Rugby Australia what that looked like,” Jones said.

“When the unity of where we were going wasn‘t the same – not because of the lack of desire from Rugby Australia but there’s other forces at play – then the only thing I could do was resign.”

Eddie Jones has shifted his focus from the Wallabies to the Barbarians. Picture: Ryan Hiscott/Getty Images for Barbarians

Jones said he wanted to change the system, which was one of the key reasons he picked such an inexperienced World Cup squad.

But officials didn’t see his vision.

“Obviously, the results are disappointing, but I went in there with a plan to change Australian rugby, which not only involves the team but the system to put it together.

“When you’ve had 20 years of unsuccessful rugby, that’s because of the system. I went in with a plan of how to change the system and that’s unable to be changed.

“I felt my job would be compromised for the next four years, which I wasn’t prepared to do.”

Jones, who is adamant he doesn’t have another job lined up, said it was a “load of rubbish” to suggest reports he interviewed for the Japan head coaching role before the World Cup played a part in Australia’s failed campaign.

“I think it is a red herring,” he added.

“Look at Australian rugby, over the last 20 years we have had no success, limited success and we needed to change things.

“Now we are trying to say a supposed interview was the reason why Australia had a bad World Cup. That is a load of rubbish.”

Jones has picked six players, including Rob Leota and Rob Valetini from the Wallabies team who played in the 40-6 hiding by Wales that sealed Australia‘s fate at the World Cup.

Prop Taniela Tupou and Izaia Perese, also in Jones’s France squad, will be in Saturday’s starting line-up too, with former Wallabies captain Michael Hooper, who Jones didn’t take to the World Cup, also in the outfit.