Eddie Jones

Eddie Jones is the head coach of Japan, back for a second spell with the side he took to the most famous upset in the sport’s history. Born in Burnie, Tasmania in January 1960 to an Australian father and a Japanese-American mother, he is among the most travelled and most argued-about coaches in rugby.

A hooker for Randwick and New South Wales, he was never capped by Australia and worked as a schoolteacher before coaching full time.

A career of firsts

He won the Super 12 with the ACT Brumbies in 2001, then took Australia to the 2003 World Cup final on home soil. He was a technical adviser to the South African side that won the 2007 World Cup, coached Suntory Sungoliath to the Japanese Top League title, and then led Japan at the 2015 World Cup — where they beat South Africa 34–32 in Brighton, still the greatest shock the tournament has produced.

England followed, and with them a Grand Slam in 2016, three Six Nations titles and the 2019 World Cup final. He was dismissed in December 2022, had a short and unsuccessful return to Australia in 2023, and was appointed Japan head coach again from 2024.

Style

Jones builds around speed and disruption rather than size, which is what made the Japan fit work the first time — extreme fitness, quick ruck ball, unorthodox set-piece calls and relentless pressure on opposition decision-making. He is a demanding, confrontational operator whose sides tend to peak sharply and then need renewal.