RFU Agrees Contract Extension With Eddie Jones

The new contract will see Jones stay in the role until the 2023 Rugby World Cup concludes.

RFU Agrees Contract Extension With Eddie Jones

The RFU has announced it has agreed a contract extension with Eddie Jones which will see the Australian remain in the role of England head coach until the 2023 Rugby World Cup concludes in Paris.

England with Jones at the helm have had great success including two Six Nations titles, one of which was a Grand Slam in 2016. Add to that a 3-0 series win against Australia and a runners-up finish at the 2019 Rugby World Cup, then this news comes as no surprise.

Jones said: “The extension is a great honour for me, but in the current environment, it is only right to acknowledge what a difficult time the world is facing.

“We are all looking forward to a time when we can get back to playing rugby and use the sport as a force for good in bringing people back together. I never thought coming here four years ago I would be doing a second four years but the circumstances are right. Obviously it is important for the team that we keep improving and my focus will be solely on that.

“I’ve done four years and felt the project was not finished yet. There’s a lot of growth in the team. The last Six Nations I was asking can I still have an effect on the team and I think I can do that. It’s a good fit for me to continue. There’s a lot of growth, we’re still a relatively young side and I think I can still add to the growth of the team.

“I am excited about raising the standards again. We have a great team. We set out four years ago to be the best team in the world and unfortunately we missed that by 80 minutes. Now we want to be the team that is remembered as being the greatest team the game has ever seen. It’s a big ambition but I believe we are capable of doing it. We have players with an enhanced reputation, we have a team that is expected to do well, so it’s a great opportunity for us to keep moving forward.”

Bill Sweeney, RFU CEO said: “My thoughts and those of all of us at the RFU are with everyone impacted by COVID-19, both across the country at large but also within our own rugby union community. In exceptionally difficult times, we are pleased to be sharing some good news.  We are delighted that Eddie will continue as head coach to run England’s campaign to take us to the 2023 Rugby World Cup.

“His record since joining speaks for itself and he has proven why he is one of the best coaches in world rugby. The progress shown by England since 2015 has been indisputable and having fielded the youngest-ever team to play in a World Cup final, we know even more growth is possible. We are all excited by what this squad can do and having Eddie leading the team is very important to us.

In other news Jason Ryles will become the skills coach later this year after Steve Borthwick departs.

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