Eddie Jones open to an approach from RFU about England job
Monday 5 October 2015 13:18, UK
Japan coach Eddie Jones has said he is open to an approach from the Rugby Football Union about coaching England.
However, the former Australia boss believes Stuart Lancaster deserves a fair review first following England's early exit from the World Cup.
Jones, who engineered Japan's stunning upset of South Africa in Brighton last month, has been touted in the media as a candidate to replace Lancaster if the RFU decides to dispense with his services.
The 55-year-old signed a deal to coach the Cape Town-based Stormers in Super Rugby less two weeks ago but is attracted by the idea of becoming England's first foreign coach.
"If England approached me, would I listen to them? Of course I would, but whether the RFU part ways with Stuart Lancaster is a big and difficult decision," he wrote in a column in the Daily Mail.
"A proper review is needed to find out why they changed strategy halfway through the tournament.
"A lot of time has been invested in to Lancaster and his squad have enormous potential, so he needs to convince the board that he can take those youngsters forward to 2019."
Jones, who coached Australia to the 2003 World Cup final and was an advisor to South Africa when they won the tournament in 2007, said it had been an error to dump fly-half George Ford for Owen Farrell for the second match against Wales.
"[Lancaster] must show that he will learn from his mistakes and, if he can't do that, I think he should go," Jones added.
"There will be a lot of contenders queuing up for his job, but it's a case of deciding what they want and then finding that person.
"It's not the sort of job I'll go out chasing, but I'd certainly chat to them if they thought I was the right man for the role."
RFU chief executive Ian Ritchie said on Sunday there would be no knee-jerk decisions over Lancaster's future.
Jones reckons Dean Richards and Jim Mallinder are the pick of the domestic candidates and that South Africa's 2007 World Cup winning coach Jack White would probably be interested if England went international.
