UK bookmakers have stopped taking bets on newly appointed DHL Stormers coach Eddie Jones replacing fired Stuart Lancaster as supremo of the England rugby team. They are so convinced Jones will leave Newlands for Twickenham that betting on him doing so has been suspended.
But the Australian who guided Japan to rugby’s great giant killing act over the Springboks won’t come cheap. In the Times of London this morning, SA billionaire Johann Rupert says extracting Jones from his contract with the DHL Stormers will cost the English Rugby Football Union (RFU) R 15 Million (£ 700 000.00).
Richemont chairman Rupert, co-owner of the DHL Stormers through the 25% owned by 1 of his businesses, told the newspaper: “We have no influence” and confirmed the Cape-based franchise would not engage in a bidding war over the recently hired head coach.
In September, Eddie Jones signed a R 5 Million a year deal with the DHL Stormers which runs until the end of 2018. That made him the highest paid coach in South African rugby, ahead of Heyneke Meyer who guided the Springboks to 3rd in the recent Rugby World Cup.
The Times also quotes Stormers director of rugby Gert Smal, who says as yet there has been no official offer from England to Jones.
“I don’t know if they approached him,” the newspaper reports.
“When I get something in my hands and I know a little more, I’ll do the right thing.”
England’s apparent determination to hire Jones pushes his boss during Springboks’ 2007 Rugby World Cup victory, Jake White, into 2nd choice. Jones had previously said he was happy to have woken up with a view of Table Mountain and was committed to the Stormers.
Jake White (52), coaches French club Montpelier and told Sky Sports: “It’s one of the sought-after jobs in world rugby. A sleeping giant as England are, they’ve got all the resources, the history, the tradition. If the RFU were genuine about picking a foreign coach and considered me the right man for the job, it would be naïve of me to tell you I wasn’t interested.”
Sport24
Lol with Jones looking certain, Jake suddenly withdraws his interest saying he is commited to his club.
If gert smal is being touted as the next springbok coach surely people should want him to do some actual coaching.
Coaches, like players, are dime a dozen.
Only a select few are in high demand though.
From a Bok coach viewpoint, whether some like it or not, White is by far the most successful. After winning the WC he has received some lucrative employment in 3 different countries.
I would say Mallett is second, after a successful stint with the Boks he got another International post and even after not coaching for more than a decade, his views and opinion of the game is the most sought after in South Africa. Any feedback he gives becomes a column on its own on the rugby websites.
I suppose to either win, or be nominated as coach of the year pushes ones market value up considerably.
I doubt whether any country would be interested in any of our current coaches, international , including assistant coaches or franchise level, and that shows how weak we are in the coaching stakes.
Jones is the flavor of the month all because he managed to out think SA in the WC. That in itself is not a difficult task, any coach, player and supporter can do that, everyone knows our one dimensional game plan. His saving grace was purely because Japan managed to convert it from the blackboard to the field. The rest is history.
I think Eddie Jones is overrated and the Stormers will do better with Mitchell, even though he is a nutter. I believe Mitchell will finally receive his coaching redemption if he gets the job, or even wants it
So it is confirmed then Eddie Jones head coach of England, starts in December.
Would be livid if I was a Stormers supporter.
35 & 36 @ Bullscot:
Yeah, I received the Official Media Release from the WPRFU this morning and a Press Conference is scheduled for 11:00 SA Time.
Gert Smal will oversee pre-season training & conditioning during December, till other plans are made.
Will put up the Media Release in a little while.
Bullscot wrote:
meant to say didn’t know that
Bullscot wrote:
I dont think there is any need to be livid. Still plenty of time, and there will certainly be some sort of conpensation.
Its a professional sport though and i dont think anyone can be bitter about jones wanting a position in england, not too mention it must be pretty lucrative as well.
Good on him and good luck.
37 @ grootblousmile:
Alright see you have done that. They should make his exit as hard as possible. What recourse do they have for a guy not honouring his contract surely they can’t go to any court without it costing way too much? Plus I guess we don’t know the details of his contract with them, maybe he had a get-out clause. Will do no good to have him about but maybe making him work somewhere until the day before his England job starts, at least let him take one more coaching session so he can feel what his players he has deserted think about him. Won’t happen though in many cases where people leave a job they get shown the door pretty quickly.
39 @ MacroPolo:
Hi Macro you are a far more gracious person than I. Have generally been fairly open/level minded about players moving about as you say this is a profession for them and it can be fairly short-lived relative to other profession but to me this Eddie Jones one is really extracting the Michael. Anyway am not a Stormers supporter so am not livid. As England are our direct competitors though don’t wish him all the success you do
@ Bullscot:
Well im just thinking if i or anyone was in his position professionally… What would we do?
Go to Wp with all its internal politics and hope to change things arohnd like “teaching eben etsebeth how to pass”.
Or start a job in england who over recent years dominate youth rugby and where Jones has literally every resource imaginable available to him without having to ask twice.
Which job would you take? Would you even have to think twice?
@ Bullscot:
Lol good luck to them… Definitely not against us
MacroPolo wrote:
Was thinking even more direct than Boks. Want to “send them homeward tae think again”
@ Bullscot:
#44 oops that went before it was finished was going to add on 6 February 2016 😈
I agree with Macro on this, even though I am a Stormer supporter.
He is obviously in the top 2% of coaches in the world and the demands for those are huge.
Good luck to him, and expect to see England stop their run of losses these last few years against the Boks.
42 @ MacroPolo:
I would say you are looking at that through Rose tinted spectacles (excuse the pun) to justify chasing the cash.
However, agree on one point as have thought for a long time that if England rugby could get their act together at senior level they could be a dominant force.
nortie wrote:
Shhh don’t say that too loudly
@ Bullscot:
@ 47
Taking their resources into consideration they should also be much more dominant in cricket and specially football.
The incredible improvements they made in a sport like road cycling and to a lesser degree in swimming over the last few years show what they can do if they apply their resources wisely.
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