When Rugby Australia makes plans for the Wallabies’ coaching set-up, administrators are unlikely to give much thought to the celebrity couple Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck. But perhaps they should, especially if they are considering Eddie Jones for a role.
The couple known as Bennifer were recently married in Las Vegas, 18 years after they broke their engagement in 2004. RA sacked Jones as Wallabies coach at the end of 2005, but now there is talk of the current England coach and his former employers reviving their relationship and the national union has reportedly offered Jones an unspecified coaching position after the 2023 World Cup in France.
The speculation prompts the question: should RA and Jones try to rekindle an old relationship, or would they be wiser to let sleeping dogs lie? A brilliant and driven coach since his early days at the Brumbies, Jones certainly has the talent and experience to coach the Wallabies again, but does he have too much emotional baggage?
He guided the Wallabies to the final of the 2003 World Cup in Sydney, losing to England 20-17 in extra-time, but RA axed him two years later after Australia lost eight of the last nine Tests in which he was in charge. It was a painful and bitter experience for Jones, who teared up at a media conference, indicating just how much the job meant to him.
Jones has since rehabilitated his coaching reputation. As a coaching consultant he helped the Springboks win the 2007 World Cup in France; he guided Japan to the biggest upset in the history of the tournament with a win against South Africa in 2015; and he took a previously under-performing England to the final of the 2019 tournament.
And he has also guided England to two three-Test series victories over the Wallabies on Australian soil with a clean sweep in 2016 and a just completed 2-1 win. If not revenge, he has gained vindication.
Jones appears to have successfully moved on from the traumatic events of 2005, clearing the way for a return to the Wallabies, but it is unclear whether he would be a popular choice among Australian fans. Some supporters accused him of being a traitor after England’s series-deciding 21-17 win at the SCG on Saturday, which provoked a heated response from the coach.
Jones appeared to be a little bit thin-skinned, especially as he was renowned for sledging opponents in his playing days, but the incident highlighted how much he cares about his Australian identity.
The appointment of foreign coaches to international teams is not uncommon. The Wallabies have a New Zealander, Dave Rennie. Ireland has an Englishman, Andy Farrell. Wales has a New Zealander, Wayne Pivac. And Argentina has an Australian, Michael Cheika, who will face off against the Wallabies in the Rugby Championship in a couple of weeks.
There is an argument that international coaches should be subject to the same strict eligibility rules that players must adhere to, but you cannot blame a coach for aspiring to coach at the highest level, particularly if they are not required by their own country.
No one should doubt Jones’ coaching ability or love for his country. The key question is what role should he be offered with the Wallabies? Head coach? Director of rugby? Coaching consultant? High performance director? The answer will probably lie in the Wallabies’ result at the World Cup next year.
If the Wallabies perform unsatisfactorily in France, there is little chance RA will re-appoint Rennie, which would allow Jones to take over as head coach. Of course, there may be other high-quality contenders for the job such as Scott Robertson of the Crusaders, but there appears to be an appetite to appoint an Australian.
But if the Wallabies exceeded expectations by reaching the final or even winning the World Cup, Rennie would likely continue in the role if he wanted to.
Should Jones be appointed director of rugby, it might be difficult for an established Test coach such as Rennie to work under him, just as Cheika struggled when former director of rugby Scott Johnson was appointed to oversee him.
In the event of Rennie’s re-appointment it might make more sense for Jones to perform a consultancy role as he did with the Springboks in 2007 or assume the role of high performance director.
Jones would be better suited to the director of coaching role while mentoring a young, rookie head coach. There has been talk of Wallabies forwards coach Dan McKellar succeeding Rennie and he would no doubt benefit enormously from having someone like Jones counselling him.
There would seem to be any number of roles Jones could potentially play for the Wallabies, although you would expect him to reach for the top job. Can a relationship work the second time around? If both parties are committed to making it succeed, why not?
