On the 20th November 2015 Eddie Jones sat at Twickenham Stadium and was formally announced as England’s head coach. At the time English rugby was hurting after the events of the few months prior and the task in front of any coaching taking the role was a large one. Personally I remember that day well and looking back the words that I wrote at the time about Eddie Jones were that 'he knows the task at hand and has a management and personal style that will be good for both the RFU and England's players'. Now, 790 days later he has led England to 22 victories and has signed a contract extension with the RFU until August 2021.
It’s clear that the relationship between the RFU and Eddie Jones is working and working well and equally the relationship between England's players and their head coach is thriving. Now the 57-year-old is astute enough to know that it won't all be plain-sailing results wise however he's been in the world of professional sport for long enough to be able to take whatever comes in his stride.
The conversations regarding extending Eddie Jones' contract occurred only very recently as England's head coach made clear.
“I was never arrogant or presumptuous enough to think I would be offered anything beyond 2019. I went away over Christmas, had some time in Australia and Japan, came back refreshed. Stephen and I had a chat, he offered me the opportunity and I could see the value that I could possibly bring to that situation and it was an easy decision in the end.
"I am enjoying the job, love the job and when he opportunity came along to continue, it was a pretty easy decision. I think there is an opportunity to do something a bit different and to leave some sort of legacy for English rugby."
It was clear yesterday at Twickenham Stadium that creating this 'legacy for English rugby' is something that ticks a lot of boxes for Eddie Jones and adds a new dimension and level to his role.
"That’s part of the deal. I’m excited about it. I have been in other teams that have been successful and the transition to other coaches has not been successful, you see the team fall away. With my age, I can see a great situation in being able to bring another coach through, working with that coach for a period of time and handing over a successful team."
The RFU will have the final decision regarding his successor but the fact that the 57-year-old will be so involved in the process brings all of his expertise to the table and it also means that in the months prior to Rugby World Cup 2019 the questions regarding Eddie Jones' future aren't at the forefront of everyone's minds. Instead the focus should remain on RWC 2019 and the primary goal of winning the competition.
On Wednesday afternoon RFU CEO Steve Brown explained further detail regarding the RFU's thinking regarding this new succession plan and some of the intricacies regarding potential candidates.
“One thing that really struck me that Eddie said to me when I can into the job, literally in the first week or so is the key to sustained success is a model or a system that works that lives beyond the individuals as well. That’s what we’re trying to do here, we’re trying to build something that we haven’t done before. They come to an end at a certain point and then get reset, so that’s the fundamental basis for this.
"We don’t preclude any option here but we’re going to have to find the very best person that’s out there, that’s the best for England as well. If that’s an up and coming person that’s peaking at that time then definitely we will consider them but this isn’t going to be a trainee role, this is a serious business. We’re planning to be on the back of some significant success in 2019 so we’re going to want to continue that. So, it’s about keeping that core system going and getting them fundamentals in place with the senior coaching team as well and then building on that for 2023. So it’s a long term plan.”
The crossover season or period of transition time is a new dynamic and one that could pose some questions when it comes round to it. Will it preclude some individuals from throwing their hat into the mix because they'd like to be #1 from the offset? Or will it simply facilitate the transition and make it better than it has ever been before? Of course the hope and reason for making this part of the process is the aim to achieve the latter.
Right now Eddie Jones is about to announce his squad for England's Six Nations opera against Italy and then continuing on with the job as normal. Nothing will change on a day to day basis for the Australian or for his squad but there's a clear path ahead and I believe it's one that's firm and that should benefit both England's head coach now and the next that comes into the role.
