Eddie Jones named Japan coach for second stint through to 2027 Rugby World Cup

New Japan coach Eddie Jones. Photosport

Eddie Jones was hired for a second stint as Japan’s coach today in a deal taking him through to the 2027 Rugby World Cup.

The 63-year-old Jones quit as Australia coach on Oct. 29 after his native country’s woeful World Cup campaign in France, during which he denied holding talks with the Japanese Rugby Football Union.

Jones, whose mother is Japanese, will start his new role on Jan. 1 on a four-year deal, returning to a position he had from 2012-15 and that culminated in him leading the Brave Blossoms to one of the biggest upsets in rugby — and any sport — when they beat South Africa at the 2015 World Cup.

After leaving that job following the World Cup, he coached England for seven years — leading the team to the 2019 World Cup final — before spending less than a year in a second spell with the Wallabies.

Jamie Joseph departed as Japan coach after the recent World Cup, where the team was eliminated in the pool stage.

Jones, one of the most colorful characters in rugby, will look to rebuild his reputation — and prove he can still cut it at the top of the sport — after Australia’s worst-ever World Cup, where the team failed to reach the knockout stage for the first time.

He also endured a tough end to his time with England, where his man-management skills and tactics came under scrutiny and the team won just five of its 12 test matches in 2022 before he was fired.