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SYDNEY - World Cup-winning assistant coach Eddie Jones says his namesake Alan Jones has campaigned for a return to the Wallabies job for more than a decade but would struggle with the changes to rugby.
Eddie Jones, the former Wallabies mentor who helped South Africa claim the Webb Ellis Cup in France, was responding to Queensland Rugby Union chairman Peter Lewis' call yesterday for high profile broadcaster Alan Jones to take on the role he last held in 1988.
"The other bloke (Alan Jones) is desperate to coach Australia again, everyone knows that and he's been working for probably the last 12 years to try to get the position back so this might be his last throw of the dice," Eddie Jones said.
Alan Jones had an impressive 23 wins from his 30 tests during a four-year reign as Australian coach but Eddie Jones said he would find the going tough.
"He'd struggle," he said.
"The game's moved on so quickly and again at the World Cup the game changed.
"It changed quite significantly again and you've got to move with the little trends of the game and try to stay in front of the trends of the game.
"It's changed enormously, the game, and will continue to change and if you've been out for as long as Alan you'd really struggle."
Alan Jones said he'd be willing to do the job if he was asked.
"Anyone who believes in rugby, who believes in the game and wants the game to do well, if they were prevailed upon and asked to assist, if they were fair dinkum they'd most probably have to," he said.
"So I suppose if I was honest, if it was thought by somebody that I might be able to contribute to the revitalisation of the game, then I'd be obligated to put my hand up."
"This is not a difficult job. I think there are real problems for Australian rugby complicating the way in which we deal with the players and the way in which we present them on the paddock and coach them and certainly the results could be infinitely better.
" ... so whether or not that leads to anything I wouldn't have a clue."
Lewis likened the recruitment of Alan Jones to bringing John Connolly back to the fold after he'd quit Queensland to work in Europe.
"The guy's (Alan Jones) got all the energy and skill and passion and leadership qualities," Lewis said.
"Age and time expired means nothing, it's who's best for the job.
"I had a very brief conversation with him yesterday to warn him about what I had done, he was very flattered but then went on to tell me the things that needed to be fixed - I was very impressed."
Asked whether the Australian Rugby Union would be able to afford the highly paid broadcaster, Lewis said: "My guess would be Alan would do it for nothing."
- AAP
