Eddie Jones is up early again, before five in the morning in Tokyo, and it seems a bleak hour to talk about failure and humiliation. After losing seven of the nine matches in which he coached his native Australia last year, including a disastrous World Cup campaign where the Wallabies were knocked out in the pool stages, Jones has just started a new job with another of his former teams, Japan. But his reputation has been scorched while his integrity and coaching acumen have been ridiculed by many in Australia and England.
Four years ago, having led England to the 2019 World Cup final after a magnificent performance against New Zealand, Jones retained much of his aura as one of the best, if most abrasive, coaches in Test rugby. But the next three years were a mess and despite his 73% winning record surpassing any previous England coach he was fired in December 2022.
