Former Wallabies coach Eddie Jones has reportedly had his second interview with Japanese Rugby as the fallout of his disastrous second stint with Australia continued.
Jones repeatedly denied any links with a return to Japanese rugby after the news broke of his first meeting for the job emerged during the World Cup.
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Despite the denials from Jones, Japanese media have long had the 63-year-old as the leading candidate to take over from ex-Japanese coach Jamie Joseph.
In news that will surprise absolutely no one, The Sydney Morning Herald has reported Jones had his in-person interview for the role at the Royal Park Hotel in Tokyo on Thursday morning.
It’s reportedly down to Jones and South African coach Frans Ludeke, who coaches Japanese Top League side Kubota Spears, having previously coached the Bulls Super Rugby franchise to two titles.
The SMH reported in September, while Jones was still the Wallabies coach, that a second interview had been organised, which Jones had denied.
Incredibly, even as Jones resigned from the job, he continued to claim the reporting was “false”.
“There’s no named source for these stories, so there’s no credibility about the story to start with,” Jones told SMH columnist Peter FitzSimons.
“Secondly, the president of Japan Rugby happens to be a very close associate of mine. Every time I go to Japan, I have coffee with him. We talk about rugby.
“Have I met Japanese representative? Yes. But I have done that for 30 years.”
In fact, the SMH’s Tom Decent, who broke the initial news of the secret meeting between Jones and Japan, revealed the coach had denied the links 14 times.
However, despite the denials, the likes of Wallabies legend Tim Horan revealed: “I’ve heard it separately from my own sources”, while the Japanese media has long reported the links.
And after leaving the Wallabies job, Jones admitted: “I’ve had no offer, let’s be clear. If they came to me and said, are you interested in coaching them, I’d definitely be interested.”
JRFU president Masato Tsuchida, who is a long-time friend of Jones, was present at the interview, along with the organisation’s CEO Kensuke Iwabuchi.
Speaking on Channel 9’s Today on Friday, Wallabies great Morgan Turinui said the drama around Jones may even hurt a potentially appointment.
“It is interesting to see the Japanese, who don’t like furore or intrigue around anything, whether it hurts Eddie’s chances of coaching Japan,” Turinui said.
“The Wallabies, being such a close neighbour, there has to be a Test match against Japan in the next couple of years. Imagine the Wallabies playing a Eddie Jones coached Japan.”
Asked if there was any anger from Turinui about Jones, he replied: “It’s pure disappointment now. Disappointment in the man unfortunately that we thought would lead us through the next phase and hasn’t acted in the way we expected, especially those who were coached by him.”
It comes after earlier this week Wallabies centre Lalakai Foketi said it “would hurt” if Jones took the Japanese job.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen. If it (Jones moves to Japan) does, it does,” Foketi said.
“I think it would hurt a little bit, just because of all the chat around before (losing to Wales at the World Cup) … but, again, what he did for us at the World Cup and leading up to that, you can’t fault his effort and his drive and want to make Australian rugby better. So we really respected him and respect him.
“So I guess if that (Japan job) happens then good on him.”
Former Rugby Australia chairman Hamish McLennan, who was sacked after the fallout of Jones’ exit as Wallabies coach, told 2GB regarding the alleged first interview: “If it is true that he did that … that’s terrible and appalling … especially when you’re leading into a World Cup and your focus should be on the team.
“He denied it and his agent said it was completely untrue. If he did do it, terrible form.”
If Jones doesn’t get the Japan job, there may be another role on the horizon if he wants it.
Georgian podcast Abragan revealed that Georgia may target Jones after the exit of Levan Maisashvili after a World Cup that saw the World No. 14 side register three losses and a draw.
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