Eddie Jones’ return to the Japanese job was similar to his return to the Wallabies’ gig: a first-up hammering. The Brave Blossoms were beaten 52-17 in Tokyo on Saturday, about 12 months after the Wallabies were smashed 43-12 by South Africa in Pretoria. To put it into context, the England-Japan result at the Rugby World Cup last year was 34-12: far more competitive.
Jones, of course, will get plenty of leeway in Japan, and there’ll be plenty of chat about building towards the 2027 Rugby World Cup. Eddie Jones’ tenure with Japan opened in similar fashion to his return to the Wallabies. Credit: Getty Images But it would be a stretch to say he is universally revered in Japan, especially by the cohort of Kiwi coaches who run the top clubs in Japan Rugby League One.
They have worked hard to enhance the reputation of the JRLO, which could easily be trashed if Jones cops a number of heavy losses in the name of experimentation. The Blues’ 41-10 demolition of the Chiefs in Saturday’s Super Rugby decider was far more one-sided than the Brumbies’ loss in the semi-final. The simple fact is that the Blues are a very good team, and they’ve thrown down the gauntlet to the rest of the competition.
On the evidence of the weekend, the Blues would probably beat Wales at Eden Park: the brutality they’ve brought to Super Rugby Pacific this year has raised the bar for everyone. Some Brumbies players didn’t have their best games in the semi-final: we now know that doesn’t make.
