Eddie Jones pledges his commitment to Australia but a Wallabies legend has already appointed his successor after disastrous Rugby World Cup campaign
- Eddie Jones has denied speculation he will quit as Wallabies coach
- Reported interest from Japan, who Jones has coached previously
- Wallabies legend Tim Horan wants Dan McKellar to coach Australia
Eddie Jones has declared he is committed to coaching Australia long term – but Wallabies great Tim Horan believes it is time for a fresh face following the diabolical World Cup campaign.
Jones arrived in Sydney from France on Thursday night and told a Channel 7 reporter he has no plans to coach Japan, despite ongoing speculation.
It comes after the Wallabies failed to qualify for the quarter-finals for the first time in World Cup history.
‘No comment, mate,’ Jones said when quizzed on his future.
‘I’ll speak to the media on Monday. But I’m committed to Australia.’
Horan, who won World Cups in 1991 and 1999, felt the Wallabies should have persisted with Dave Rennie, who was axed for Jones in January.
Eddie Jones has declared he is committed to coaching Australia long term – despite speculation he will quit and coach Japan
Wallabies great Tim Horan believes it is time for a fresh face following the diabolical World Cup campaign where Australia were bundled out in the group stage
‘This is the first time the Wallabies have missed out on the quarter-finals in 10 Rugby World Cups – it has hurt a lot of people,’ Horan said from Marseille, where he is commentating.
‘It’s quite sad now that we’re in the quarter-final weekend and there’s not a lot of gold jerseys around. It’s tough. Eddie Jones has to make a call whether he wants to commit to this team.
‘I was in the dressing shed a couple of weeks ago with the team and the players seem to like Eddie Jones, they like the direction that he’s trying to take this team.
‘But they’ve got to take a lot of responsibility as well.’
The champion inside centre is also adamant former Wallabies assistant Dan McKellar is the obvious successor for Jones.
‘Dan was with the Brumbies for about five or six years, but he’s signed to Leicester over in the UK. He’s only just started that agreement,’ he said.
‘So you’d have to try and find a way to actually get him out of that agreement. He’s the best coach, but time will tell.
‘Probably the next two or three weeks, we’ll know what Eddie Jones is going to do. Is he going to commit or not?’
Jones still has four years remaining on his Rugby Australia contract, which is supposed to run until the end of 2027.
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