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Rugby Australia chief executive Phil Waugh says he would consider it disloyal for Eddie Jones to have conducted a job interview with the Japanese Rugby Football Union before the World Cup, if he sees proof the discussions took place.<\/p>\n
Speaking to Sydney radio station 2GB on Wednesday, Waugh addressed the ongoing saga around the future of Jones, who continued to deny at a press conference on Tuesday that he had spoken to the JRFU.<\/p>\n
This masthead exclusively reported Jones conducted a Zoom interview with the JRFU in August about filling the role of Japan head coach from 2024, despite being less than one year into a five-year contract with Rugby Australia. Multiple news organisations around the world, including in Japan, have subsequently reported the same information.<\/p>\n
On Tuesday at Coogee Oval in Sydney, Jones continued to deny he\u2019d had an interview with the JRFU, and that he would be participating in a second interview next month.<\/p>\n
Waugh told 2GB\u2019s Chris O\u2019Keefe he had been given the same denials several times from Jones.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs I\u2019ve said quite publicly, Eddie said to me that he hasn\u2019t had that [interview] and he said that to me a number of times, and I\u2019ll take him for his word,\u201d Waugh said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Wallabies head coach Eddie Jones at Coogee Oval.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Steven Siewert<\/cite><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not my responsibility to speculate or go and talk to the Japanese Rugby Football Union and ask them whether they\u2019ve met with Eddie.\u201d<\/p>\n Waugh admitted, however, that if proof of Jones\u2019 Japanese interview \u201cbecomes evident then clearly that\u2019d be very disappointing\u201d.<\/p>\n Asked if he believes Jones had been disloyal, Waugh said: \u201cAnyone of a reasonable mind would say that if those conversations did occur, going into a World Cup, then I think that would be an appropriate assumption.\u201d<\/p>\n When O\u2019Keefe suggested that was \u201ca big call\u201d, Waugh replied: \u201cIt\u2019s not a big call. That\u2019d be fair to say that if those conversations were occurring in the middle of a World Cup campaign for Australia, at a World Cup that we were going to win, then it would be disappointing.\u201d<\/p>\n Wallabies players after their loss against Wales in the World Cup in Lyon.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>AP<\/cite><\/p>\n Waugh declined to answer a question about whether Jones might have breached his contract.<\/p>\n \u201cContracts are interesting, as you know. I\u2019m not going to get into the legalities of the wording within a contract,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe reality is that we were clearly very disappointing in the World Cup. And we\u2019ve let down Australians that put the trust and belief in the environment to do well. It\u2019s been disappointing and we\u2019ve got a lot to do in terms of regaining the trust of the public.\u201d<\/p>\n Waugh also sidestepped questions about Jones\u2019 future, pointing instead to possible action following an independent review of the Wallabies\u2019 World Cup campaign.<\/p>\n Phil Waugh says Eddie Jones has denied talking to Japan.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Peter Rae<\/cite><\/p>\n \u201cWe need to do a thorough assessment of our performance and the campaign, which we\u2019re in the process of doing and, hopefully, we can do that really quickly,\u201d Waugh said.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019ll be a review and assessment of the campaign and then recommendations from that, and then we act on those.\u201d<\/p>\n Waugh also indicated the controversial absence of senior players such as Michael Hooper and Quade Cooper hurt the Wallabies\u2019 World Cup campaign, which ended with Australia missing the knockout stage for the first time.<\/p>\n In a shock move, Jones snubbed the experienced duo, and other senior players, in his squad and instead took the most inexperienced Wallabies side ever to a World Cup.<\/p>\n \u201cI know Michael very well and I\u2019ve been in constant contact with Michael and, as you say, I think 100-and-20-odd Tests [played] for the Wallabies,\u201d Waugh told 2GB.<\/p>\n \u201cHe was battling a calf injury going into the tournament. But in hindsight, some of those exclusions were pretty relevant in terms of the performance.\u201d<\/p>\n Former Wallabies star Mat Rogers also expressed dissatisfaction about Jones\u2019 performance at the press conference in Coogee.<\/p>\n \u201cI know Eddie and I respect Eddie but I need Eddie to come out and say, \u2018I am here, I am 100 per cent committed until the next World Cup as long as I have a contract in place with Rugby Australia\u2019. I\u2019m not seeing it,\u201d Rogers said on Stan\u2019s RWC 2023 Central<\/em> show.<\/p>\n \u201cI hope to god that he is not speaking to his players the same way he is speaking to us, and I\u2019m sure that\u2019s not the case. If my coach was speaking to me like that, I\u2019d be like, \u2018Are you all in here or are you not?\u2019 Don\u2019t treat the fans with contempt. Don\u2019t treat the fans as silly. They deserve a straight answer. I\u2019d like to get it and we\u2019re not. I\u2019m not happy.\u201d<\/p>\n Watch all the action from <\/b>Rugby World Cup 2023<\/b> on the Home of Rugby, Stan Sport. Every match streaming ad-free, live and in 4K UHD with replays, mini matches and highlights available on demand.<\/b><\/p>\n Sports news, results and expert commentary. <\/i><\/b>Sign up for our Sport newsletter<\/i><\/b>.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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