I won’t quit over Jones resignation, says McLennan

Rugby Australia chairman Hamish McLennan says he will not quit because he does not want to further destabilise the game following the resignation of coach Eddie Jones.

RA has been in damage control since Sunday night when Jones announced he was walking away following the Wallabies’ disappointing World Cup campaign, but McLennan was adamant he was not considering his own position.

“I want to stay to deliver the 2027 World Cup in Australia,” McLennan told this masthead in a statement before travelling back to Australia from France. “That has always been the big prize for Australian rugby.

“More destabilisation will just make matters worse just when we’re about to break through. Life is not a continuous line of perfect calls and success.

“I came to rugby to find a way to fix it when it all fell over and despite the sad Eddie situation, this is another hurdle we’ll overcome.”

McLennan was the driving force behind the recruitment of Jones for his second stint in the role after his previous incarnation ended nearly 20 years ago in 2005.

He said during the recent World Cup that he had decided to hire Jones because he did not believe the team’s previous coach, Dave Rennie, would have been able to get Australia out of the World Cup pool stages in France.

Eddie Jones announced on Sunday night he was quitting as Wallabies coach.Credit: Steven Siewert

Under Jones, the Wallabies won two of nine Tests and were bundled out of the World Cup in the pool stage for the first time. Since McLennan was appointed as RA chairman in May 2020, the Wallabies have won 15 of 43 Tests, a win record of 34.9 per cent.

McLennan did not have a say in Rennie’s appointment as coach in 2019.

McLennan, who admitted after last month’s loss to Wales that the code was at “rock bottom”, said it was time to concentrate on reform.

“Now is the time to fix the rugby system once and for all,” he said. “I’ve been saying for three years we need to centralise and fix the constitution.

“NSW and other states are all coming on board with centralisation, and we’ll fix the professional structure for the first time in 30 years. We are now in the Australia World Cup cycle. Let’s not blink when the necessary reforms go through.

“We’ve made incredible progress on a number of other fronts, including winning the [hosting rights to the] men’s and women’s World Cups in 2027 and 2029. They will deliver over $2.5 billion to the Australian economy, and we can’t screw them up.”

This masthead revealed last month that Jones had taken part in a secret interview with the Japanese Rugby Football Union just days before the start of the tournament.

Jones told RA officials there was no substance to the story, although multiple news outlets from Australia, England and Japan have reported that he has a second interview lined up next month in Japan.

McLennan and chief executive Phil Waugh have still not asked Japan officials whether Jones went behind their back for an interview.

While Jones and McLennan have both confirmed news of the coach’s exit, RA is yet to release a statement.

Waugh is in Sydney and likely to hold a press conference on Tuesday.

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