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Eddie Jones lands Barbarians job against old rival
By Josh Raisey
One week after being sacked by England, the Barbarians have named Eddie Jones as their coach to face a World XV in May next year.
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The 62-year-old will return to Twickenham on Sunday May 28 to take on a side coached by former World Cup winning All Blacks coach Steve Hansen in the Killik Cup.
This will be the Australian’s second outing with the Barbarians after coaching them in November 2019 in a narrow loss to Fiji, just days after his England side lost the World Cup final. It was at that World Cup where Jones got the better of Hansen in the semi-final, and the pair will renew their rivalry next year.
The match will also be the first time the Barbarians will run out at Twickenham since June, where the visitors ran riot against Jones’ England in a 52-21 win.
“It’s an incredible honour to be asked to coach the Barbarians for a second time,” said Jones.
“The club showed during the autumn that the values and traditions which make the Barbarians so special are still very much alive. Fans can expect to see two top-quality teams, packed full of international players, going all out to catch the eye ahead of the Rugby World Cup.
“I am very much looking forward to returning to Twickenham Stadium – a venue I have so many fond memories of – as head coach of the Barbarians, and I’m more motivated than ever to put on a show.
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“Going up against Steve rekindles a great rivalry which first started in our days competing in Super Rugby and progressed into the international arena. It’ll be a great challenge and one I’m sure we’re both relishing.”
Hansen said: “2023 is set to be an incredible year for rugby and I’m really excited to be returning to Twickenham.
“I’ve coached both for and against the Barbarians during my career, and while you always have to expect the unexpected where they are concerned, you can be certain that come Sunday 28 May we’ll have a hugely entertaining match played in a festival atmosphere.
“The Rugby World Cup will be firmly on the horizon when this match comes around, and we hope we can showcase many of the players who will go on to be stars of the tournament in France during this Killik Cup clash.”
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General admission tickets go on sale on Tuesday 13th December at 10:00 AM from www.ticketmaster.co.uk/barbarians, with a special early-bird offer from £25* for Adults and £15* for Under-16s.
