Rugby Australia chief Phil Waugh says Wallabies ‘moving forward’ after Eddie Jones’ defection to Japan

Rugby Australia boss Phil Waugh has responded to the imminent announcement of Eddie Jones as coach of Japan after repeated denials about his interest.

Eddie Jones is set to take over as coach of Japan. Picture: Ryan Hiscott/Getty Images for Barbarians

Rugby Australia boss Phil Waugh says the “integrity” of the Wallabies must be protected and refused to be drawn on former coach Eddie Jones’ repeated denials about interviewing for Japan’s head coaching role with his appointment now imminent.

Jones. whose disastrous second stint as Wallabies coach ended last month after less than a year in charge, is reportedly set to be confirmed as Japan’s coach on Wednesday, pending board approval.

News emerged that Jones had interviewed for the Japan job – which he previously held from 2012 to 2015 – while coaching the Wallabies during the team’s humiliating World Cup campaign in September.

It was only eight months into a Wallabies coaching contract that wasn’t due to expire until 2027 and Jones repeatedly denied the interview had taken place, pledging his future to Australian rugby.

However, soon after arriving home from the World Cup in France, having again declared he was fully committed to the Wallabies, Jones resigned and said the “whole system” needed changing after “20 years of unsuccessful rugby”.

He reportedly was interviewed last week for a second time by Japanese rugby officials and did enough to secure the job.

Eddie Jones is set to be announced as Japan’s new coach. Picture: Toru Hanai/Getty Images

When asked on Monday to comment on Jones’s new job, RA chief executive Waugh said again he had taken Jones “at his word” and wouldn’t be drawn on a reaction beyond declaring that “ “Eddie finished with Rugby Australia on the 25th of November. We’re moving forward.”

Waugh, who spoke to Jones during the World Cup about the matter and was assured there was no truth to the reports, put an emphasis on rugby having “integrity” in perhaps a thinly veiled swipe at the former coach.

“We want to be a game of integrity and a team of integrity, and I took Eddie on his word,” he said

“We’re moving forward and looking forward to 2024.”

Waugh was confident RA would continue to have a good relationship with the Japan Rugby Football Union despite its questionable poaching of Jones.

“We’ve got a good relationship with all national unions,” Waugh said.

“We play a lot of Test matches against Japan and we look forward to continuing that strong partnership, so I’m not going to buy into speculation of what may or may have occurred.

“We’re moving forward and look forward to putting all those new (Rugby Australia) appointments in place and building a really strong culture for the Wallabies going forward.”

Waugh hoped to announce a new coach of the Australian women’s team, the Wallaroos, this week, ahead of the appointment of a new director of high performance and Jones’s replacement as Wallabies coach.

Those reportedly in contention to replace Jones include Wallabies great Stephen Larkham, ex-Wallabies coach Michael Cheika, former All Blacks mentor Ian Foster, Fiji coach Simon Raiwalui and Waratahs mentor Darren Coleman.