Eddie Jones would “definitely be interested” in the post of Japan coach but has not yet received an offer, Japanese media reported on Wednesday, citing the former England and Australia coach. The 63-year-old Australian has been strongly linked with a return to the helm of the team he managed from 2012 to 2015, a week after resigning as Wallabies coach.
“There was no offer, let’s be clear,” Jones said, according to Kyodo News and other Japanese media. “If they came to me and asked me if I would be interested in training them, I would certainly be interested,” he assured, however. Jones’ wife is Japanese and lives in the country while his mother is Japanese-American.
Jones is believed to top a list of candidates from the Japan Rugby Union Federation (JRFU) which also includes South African Frans Ludeke, who led the Kubota Spears to the Japanese title last season. His ten-month stint with Australia ended badly with an unprecedented elimination from the World Cup in France in the group stage.
