Eddie Jones

Eddie Jones has a reputation as one of the best rugby union coaches in the world. Born in Burnie, Tasmania, he’s recently been appointed for his second stint as the Wallabies head coach.

In his playing days, Eddie was a hooker renowned for his toughness and quick wit on the field, playing alongside Wallaby greats including the Ella brothers, Simon Poidevin and David Campese.

In his early coaching career, Eddie Jones took charge of a number of domestic Australian and Japanese club teams such as his beloved Randwick, Suntory Sungoliath and the ACT Brumbies.

In 2001, Eddie Jones became head coach of the Wallabies for the first time, where he enjoyed a successful four years. During this period, the team won the 2001 Tri Nations and Jones guided the Australian team to the final of 2003 Rugby World Cup on home soil. He was also the Wallabies coach when Australia last held the Bledisloe Cup in 2002.

He worked as an assistant coach for the South Africa national team when they won the Rugby World Cup in 2007, and in 2012 Eddie Jones was appointed as the head coach of Japan, who he took to the 2015 World Cup.

At the end of 2015, Jones became England’s first-ever foreign head coach, leaving the RFU late last year with the highest win percentage of any England national coach at 73% after seven years in charge of the team.

In his first full year in charge, he led England to their first Grand Slam in 13 years and in 2017 England became only the second international rugby team to go an entire calendar year unbeaten. This led to Jones being named as the World Rugby Coach of the Year in 2017.

Eddie returned to home soil in January 2023, signing a five-year contract to coach Australia through to the Rugby World Cup on home soil in 2027.