Rugby: Jones hints he would quit if England win 2019 World Cup

Eddie Jones at an England training session. Photo / Photosport

England head coach Eddie Jones has suggested he could leave his role if England were to win the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan.

The Australian has won all nine games during his year-long reign as the English boss since replacing Stuart Lancaster at the end of the World Cup last year, having gone undefeated in the Six Nations and whitewashing the Wallabies 3-0 in Australia.

That record could be improved to 13 undefeated matches by the end of the year, with tests against South Africa, Fiji, Argentina and Australia to be played at Twickenham next month.

The 56-year-old said to BBC Radio Five Live's Sportsweek that he is still keen to seek fresh challenges in the game.

"I want to win the World Cup but once you've won the World Cup I think there's other projects you could be involved in to make the game better.

"I'm lucky to be involved in a great sport like rugby and having done something with Japan that people thought you couldn't do, I'd love to do that in another country.

"Who knows - we'll wait until end of the World Cup then we'll take it from there."

Jones' contract with the RFU runs through until the end of the 2019 World Cup, and with the start he has made with the national side, he is beginning to raise the hopes of others that that tournament will be the climax of a glittering spell in charge of the European powerhouses.

The Tasmanian-born veteran stated he isn't ruling by fear in London, but maintains it is important to keep a healthy distance from his players.

"I don't think they (the players) are frightened but in any high-performance environment you need a certain level of discomfort.

"As a coach the players are never your friends. You have a great deal of respect for them but you've got to have a certain level of emotional distance because you're in a working situation and half the week you're telling them you love them, and then there's some parts of the week you're telling players they're not going to play."

With the prospect of an undefeated year being a very real possibility the England side, Jones said that would pale in significance compared to the preparation for Japan 2019.

"That (remaining unbeaten all year) is the target," added Jones.

"We've put ourselves in a great position to achieve that but that would be the icing on the cake.

"What's more important is that the players keep growing, the team keeps developing, because ultimately we want to win the World Cup in 2019."