Eddie Jones agrees contract extension

England Rugby head coach Eddie Jones has extended his contract at the RFU today until August 2021.

Jones, who joined in November 2015, had previously been contracted until after the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan.

Under his guidance England have won back-to-back Six Nations titles and have also sealed series victories in Australia and Argentina.

“Coaching England is a dream job for me, and I was delighted to be asked to stay on after Rugby World Cup 2019,” said Jones.

“I have been completely focussed on developing a team capable of being the number one rugby team in the world and winning the World Cup in 2019.”

“I never take my role as England head coach for granted and did not presume I would be asked to stay on, but, once the conversations started very recently, it was not a difficult decision to make.”

“These are exciting times for English Rugby, with a focussed and committed squad who are full of potential and determined to win.”

“I will continue to work as hard as I can to make England the world’s best rugby team.”

The RFU Board has also agreed a succession process for appointing Jones’ successor as head coach.

This is likely to involve appointing a new head coach by the end of the 2019/2020 season, with a view to a smooth coaching transition, working with Jones until the summer of 2021, before leading the team into Rugby World Cup 2023.

Jones’ contract extension to the end of the 2020/21 season has a performance-based break clause, based on England’s performance at Rugby World Cup 2019 in Japan.

“Eddie’s results as England head coach speak for themselves,” said RFU CEO Steve Brown.”

“Under Eddie’s leadership, we have risen from eighth to second in the world – and Eddie won’t be satisfied until we are number one.”

“He has a 95% win rate at the helm, and has been a galvanizing force for the RFU, bringing focus, clarity and extraordinary commitment to the role.”

“We now have a robust succession planning process in place which will avoid the historically disruptive pattern of resetting the coaching team and performance system every four years.

“Eddie will be a big part of this process, and wants to ensure a smooth handover to his successor.”

Jones will name his squad on Thursday ahead of England’s opening match of the NatWest 6 Nations against Italy.