Eddie Jones says he will call England shots for 'as long as I’m head coach' after agreeing contract extension

Eddie Jones issued a firm reminder that he will remain in charge of the England team “as long as I’m head coach” after agreeing a new contract extension that will see him work alongside his successor for up to two years.

The Rugby Football Union announced on Wednesday that Jones will stay in charge of the national team until 2021, providing there is not a repeat of the World Cup debacle in Japan next year as England look to make up for 2015’s pool stage exit. Jones has made it clear that he intends to win the tournament, but while the RFU confirmed that there is a break clause in his new deal should expectations fail to be met, neither Jones nor RFU chief executive Steve Brown would confirm what result would trigger that clause.

Instead, they were keen to address the new succession plan that has been drawn up to find Jones’ successor which, Brown hopes, can be used as a model for recruitment moving forwards beyond the next World Cup cycle. With Jones set to remain as head coach until after the RFU identify and appoint his successor, there remains the possibility of conflict between two coaches who may not see eye to eye on certain areas, but Jones left it in no doubt over who would have the deciding say.

“As long as I’m head coach I have the ultimate say. That’s quite simple,” Jones said at Twickenham on Wednesday afternoon. “When I am not the head coach I will not have the ultimate say, so it could not be more black and white than that.”

But while the Australian insisted that he will remain in charge, he did express his happiness to work alongside another coach – regardless of who it will be.

He added: “That’s part of the deal, I’m excited about it. I have been in other teams that have been successful and the transition to other coaches has not been successful, you see the team fall away. With my age, I can see a great situation in being able to bring another coach through, working with that coach for a period of time and handing over a successful team.”

Jones has suggested repeatedly that he planned on leaving England when his previous contract expired after the 2019 World Cup to enjoy retirement and spend his time “watching cricket in the Caribbean”, only to agree to sign the contract extension that will see him delay the beaches of Barbados for the dreary skies of Bagshot where the England training base is located.

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But the 57-year-old stressed that this is not a U-turn on his plans, but simply the case that he was not arrogant enough to believe that a contract extension was automatically on the table while his initial deal still had time to run. He did though admit that six years is likely to be enough for him, despite the allure of a second World Cup tilt in 2023.

“I was never arrogant or presumptuous enough to think I would be offered anything beyond 2019,” he said. “I went away over Christmas, had some time in Australia and Japan, and came back refreshed. Steve [Brown] and I had a chat, he offered me the opportunity and I could see the value that I could possibly bring to that situation and it was an easy decision in the end.

“That’s probably enough for me, and a good opportunity to bring another coach through. That is the great opportunity of this situation, to make sure they come through to a successful team.”

With the question of who will succeed Jones somewhat put to bed for the short-term, Jones can focus on the upcoming Six Nations title defence and he will announce his squad on Thursday, with England looking to become the first nation to win the championship outright three times in a row.

But Brown will now begin the task of identifying the next England coach, with the plan being that the individual will be identified and appointed by the end of the 2019/20 season. “We have just started the beginning of that process, making sure we have everything in place,” Brown said. “We have time to start identifying people, engaging with people where appropriate. [It’s] plenty of time to get in a good place, [and] Eddie will be working with us on that.”

Brown also confirmed that the role will not be restricted to English coaches only, given the success that has been brought under Jones’ reign. “We have learnt so much from having Eddie in this role. We want the best coach for England, not necessarily the best English coach. If the best English coach is available at the time and fits the plan, then absolutely.”