Rugby Australia board back besieged Wallabies coach Eddie Jones despite Wales loss

Rugby Australia bosss Hamish McLennan and his board back in Eddie Jones while acknowledging the team’s nightmare loss to Wales as a new low.

Eddie Jones, head coach of Australia, has apologised for his team’s loss to Wales overnight.

Rugby Australia boss Hamish McLennan and his board have backed in besieged Wallabies coach Eddie Jones while acknowledging their nightmare loss to Wales was a “rock bottom” moment for the game.

Jones, who has reportedly been linked to talks with Japan, still has the full backing of the RA board eight months into his tenure after a shocking World Cup run which has seen them miss the finals for the first time.

“We hired Eddie for a five year turnaround knowing the game needed a complete overhaul,” McLennan told The Australian, backing in the coach.

Jones apologised to Australian supporters after the Wallabies brutal 40-6 loss to Wales at the Olympique Lyonnais. It is their worst defeat at a World Cup and obliterated their hopes of making the finals in France.

McLennan says the World Cup result reinforces that Australian rugby needs a systematic overhaul.

“It feels it’s a rock bottom moment,” McLennan told The Australian. “We need to wipe the slate clean like the French and Irish did years ago.”

Last month it was announced that RA will have greater control of the sport’s high-performance program in an attempt to strengthen the national teams after reaching an agreement with provincial member unions on structural reforms.

RA’s planned “strategic reset” will push Australia closer to the centralised models of New Zealand and Ireland.

“[Today was] no greater proof point as to why the system needs to change,” McLennan said. “We need to do away with the fiefdoms and centralise like Ireland. The clock is ticking for our home World Cup in ‘27”.

“Everyone needs to give up something to make centralisation happen”.

Jones has led the Wallabies to one win in eight games.

In an interview with The Weekend Australian he says he hoped to leave Australian rugby in a better place.

Jones said he will weather and accept the criticism being thrown his way, but he maintains he is helping to lay the foundation of a World Cup winning team for 2027.

“I made the choice to do this; you make choices all the time in life and I made this choice that I want to give something back to Australian rugby,” Jones said.

“Whenever I finish, I want to feel like I leave Australian rugby in a better place than it was.”