England coach Eddie Jones resumes contentious role with Japanese club Suntory Sungoliath | Rugby Union News

Eddie Jones’ consultancy role with Suntory Sungoliath will see England head coach work with rival international players including Australia’s Same Kerevi; Jones under pressure following second successive poor Six Nations campaign

Jones next challenge as England boss is a three Test tour to Australia in July

Eddie Jones has resumed his role with Suntory Goliath just two weeks after England finished a disappointing third at this year’s Six Nations.

Jones has a long-standing arrangement to act as consultant to the Japanese club – one which pre-dates his appointment as England head coach in 2015.

The Rugby Football Union says it is comfortable with Jones’ role, despite the fact it means he will be working with top rival international players, including Australian centre Samu Kerevi and All Blacks Star Damian McKenzie.

Australian centre, Samu Kerevi, currently plays for Japanese club Suntory Sungoliath

Jones, one of the highest-paid coaches in international rugby, has seen his England role questioned in the wake of a second straight Six Nations campaign featuring three defeats.

The Australian is contracted to lead England into the 2023 World Cup, and the RFL expects to announce his eventual successor before that tournament.

With a three-Test tour to Australia next on the agenda for England, Jones’ decision to work with other international stars in the interim remains a controversial one.

Shedding light on Jones’ role at Suntory Sungoliath, coach Milton Haig said: “Eddie is over here at the moment helping us out. He’s hard at work. He’s not having a holiday here, that’s for sure.

“He’s running a few drills for us around our breakdowns and doing a lot of talking to the young players.

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RFU chief executive Bill Sweeney says that no head coach is indispensable but has backed Eddie Jones and the work he is doing with England as they build up their efforts towards the rugby World Cup in 2023.

“He’s not doing it because he wants money or praise, he’s doing it because he has a long affiliation with the club and he wants to see the club progress and see the young players progress.

“I think he gets a kick out of just helping out really and having no expectations. That’s probably a bit of rest for him in itself.

“I saw the kerfuffle that went on in the press over there (last year) – they probably won’t like it he’s talking to Samu Kerevi and Damian McKenzie at the moment.

“It’s a storm in a teacup – he’s just a rugby man and is really keen to talk to rugby people and see what he can learn off them.”

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RFU chief executive Bill Sweeney insisted that England’s Six Nations campaign was simply ‘not good enough’ but believes that progress had been made in some areas.

Jones retains the backing of the RFU chief executive Bill Sweeney to lead England into next year’s World Cup, Sweeney stating a fortnight ago that, whilst Jones’ commercial contracts have to be signed off by Twickenham, his agreement with the Japanese side was declared at the time of his appointment.

Despite such conditions, Jones’ decision to work in such a role while the domestic season is in full swing, with the Heineken Champions Cup knockout phase starting this weekend, remains contentious.

England will play Tests against Australia at Perth Stadium, Brisbane’s Lang Park and the Sydney Cricket Ground in July this year; Sky Sports will show all three Tests, as well as Ireland’s tour of New Zealand, Wales’ tour of South Africa and Scotland’s tour of Argentina