Wallabies head coach Dave Rennie says there is no chance that Eddie Jones will join his coaching staff for the upcoming Rugby World Cup.
Jones has been in talks with Rugby Australia over a potential future role at the union, but Rennie has ruled out the possibility that the former England boss will join the Wallabies’ backroom staff before the World Cup.
‘It won’t happen’
Rennie has already begun preparations for the World Cup as he assembled a squad for a four-day Wallabies camp on the Gold Coast.
The Wallabies boss is out of contract after the tournament in France and fielded questions on his future and the possibility of Jones linking up with the side.
“As we know, there is an enormous amount of speculation at this time of year,” Rennie said when asked about reports that Jones was on Rugby Australia’s radar.
“I haven’t spoken to Hamish [McLennan, RA chairman] recently, so I can’t really comment much on it.”
When explicitly asked about Jones, the Wallabies head coach in 2001 and 2005, Rennie emphatically said he would not be involved in their build-up to and during the World Cup.
“It won’t happen before [the Rugby World Cup],” Rennie said.
“There’s a fair bit of speculation about a lot of things, but my focus is on this group and the World Cup. Anything else happening beyond that will be clarified over the next few months.
“We’ve had no discussions around that. There’s no plan to make alterations to the coaching group at this stage. I haven’t spoken to Hamish and haven’t spoken to Andy [Marinos, RA chief executive] about it. My assumption is we’re going to push on.”
Rennie’s future
After an underwhelming year at the helm of the Wallabies in 2022, Rennie was retained in his role, but it is unlikely that he will remain as the side’s head coach following the World Cup.
Rumours have circulated suggesting that he will be off to Japan after the tournament, where he will take the head coach role at the Kobe Steelers.
“All I’ll say is I haven’t signed with Kobe,” Rennie told reporters.
“My focus is totally here. We’ve spent a big chunk of December when we got back doing reviews and World Cup planning. What happens beyond 2023 will probably be a bit clearer in the next few months.”
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