If Eddie Jones was fired as coach of the Springboks for the same record he had at England before his axing on Tuesday, he would have been on par with the legendary Danie Craven as the fourth-most successful Bok coach of all time.
Following a review of the @autumnnations, Eddie Jones has been dismissed as England men’s head coach.
— England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) December 6, 2022
The RFU will conclude coach succession planning in the near future.
Read the full RFU statement here 👉 https://t.co/eyoWDAb6kd pic.twitter.com/QwiCg4vkci
Nou hoe bedoel meneer dan nou? Allow me to explain.
When Eddie was fired he had won 59 of the 78 Tests they played in, drew one and lost 18 for a win percentage of 73 - the highest ever by an English coach.
If that was in SA, he would have equalled Craven, beaten Nick Mallett (71 percent), Jake White (66), Heyneke Meyer (66), Rassie Erasmus (65), Peter de Villiers (62) and of course current coach Jacques Nienaber (61).
Such a record is only bettered by Kitch Christie (100 percent in 14 Tests), Cecil Moss (83) in the 80s, Nelie Smit (80) early 80s and Ian Kirkpatrick (75) in the 70s.
The doodskoot for Jones was England’s defeat to the Springboks at Twickenham last month when the team was booed off by their own fans.
That’s it, the #Springboks finish 2022 with a superb win at Twickenham, their first at the home of England rugby since 2014 🙌 #StrongerTogether #StrongerForever #ENGvRSA #CastleOutgoingTour pic.twitter.com/wKG8YWEN7I
— Springboks (@Springboks) November 26, 2022
It brought an end to England’s worst year since 2008, with five wins and a draw in 12 matches.
Consider this: the Boks played 13 matches and won eight, going down five times.
That’s one fewer defeat than Eddie’s Roses, yet our coaches are being backed to the hilt. Niemand sê boo of bah oor hulle nie.
We know now that SA Rugby won’t get rid of Jacques Nienaber and or Rassie Erasmus.
But we also know that they can do with a fresh new pair of eyes and I believe that’s why it’s important to take a look at possibly bringing in Eddie as a consultant for 2023.
That he is one of the greatest minds in the game of rugby is not to be doubted. Whether he can work alongside Rassie Erasmus is another question altogether.
Enough said ! He is a man who has rugby in his heart ! pic.twitter.com/qwQ5iN0DBk
— Rassie Erasmus (@RassieRugby) December 7, 2022
But egos aside, we need to do what’s best for South African rugby and to bring in a man who knows what it takes to whip a team in shape fast is what’s best for our rugby now.
When Jones took over at England in November 2015, he led them to their first Grand Slam in 13 years and guided the team to 17 wins on the trot in his first 17 games - he only tasted defeat for the first time in 2017.
Talk about a first start.
With the World Cup om die draai, that is exactly what the Springboks need now.
Personally, I’d love to see more of Eddie in South Africa.
For those who don’t know, he was a consultant for Jake White’s Boks who won the 2007 Rugby World Cup.
And before he went to England, he was named head coach of the Stormers in 2015. He left quickly after the announcement, but not before we sat down to talk about Eric Clapton or whatever music his daughter downloads, cricket, working with young players, his background as an educator, transformation and fetchers.
He made a big impression on me during our 10-minute chat and I wanted to learn more from him - see how he does things.
I reckon it’s the same wherever he goes.
And for a man who guided Japan to victory over South Africa at the World Cup, and England to stun New Zealand in the World Cup semis, you’d definitely not want him coaching against you in big games.
That’s why if I was in control of things at SA Rugby, I’d be in a hurry to get this guy on board. I’d be worried if any other country - dare I say even the country of his birth (Australia, ptooey) - does it before we do.