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England's World Cup may have ended in disappointment, but it's not been the worst - or best - part of Eddie Jones' coaching reign
Eddie Jones suffered the agony of World Cup final defeat again as a rampant South Africa ran out 32-12 winners in the World Cup final in Yokohama.
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Jones was also on the losing side in the 2003 final when England beat Australia.
He took up his role as England head coach in November 2015 and has enjoyed a colourful time at the helm.
Jones’ plans for beyond 2019 remain unknown.
Jones’ home nation, Australia, are in need of a new coach with Michael Cheika choosing not to seek reappointment after a disappointing 2019 campaign. Perhaps Jones would like another crack at winning the World Cup with Australia?
Continue reading below…
Remaining with England is always an option – and Jones could build a dynasty with the young squad he has at his disposal.
Although the World Cup cycle hasn’t ended the way Jones would have liked, he’s still built a strong side out of the ashes of England’s disastrous 2015 campaign.
What have been the highs and lows of his tenure to date?
HIGHS
March 2016: Jones enjoyed the perfect start to his reign by presiding over England’s first Grand Slam since 2003.
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June 2016: The Midas touch was carried into the summer tour to Australia where the Wallabies were swept aside 3-0 in a thrilling Test series.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B4XU8SwAYLk/
March 2017: Scotland were routed 61-21 to see England equal New Zealand’s record of 18 successive Test wins. Defeat by Ireland in the next match ended the run.
January 2018: Having overseen a remarkable streak of 23 wins from 24 Tests, Jones is awarded a two-year contract extension.
October 2019: England claim an impressive 40-16 win over Australia in the Rugby World Cup quarter-final in Oita, and follow that up with a 19-7 semi-final victory over New Zealand.
LOWS
January 2017: Attends the Six Nations launch in London with heavy bruising and wounding around his left eye after slipping in the shower earlier that morning.
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February 2018: Abused by Scotland fans and then football supporters while using public transport to travel from Edinburgh to London via Manchester.
No scrum = no win #RWCFinal #RWC2019 #Scrum https://t.co/ycJQVTJ8Aq
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) November 2, 2019
March 2018: England left one defeat away from enduring their worst Six Nations performance since 2006 following dismal losses to Scotland and France.
March 2018: Footage from a business talk in 2017 shows Jones refer to Ireland as the “scummy Irish” and Wales as a “little s*** country”.
November 2019: England swept into the final by beating holders New Zealand but they could not deliver again in the final as South Africa dominated throughout to run out comfortable 32-12 winners.
– with PressAssociation
The tournament may not have ended favourably for the English, but their fans weren’t too despondent after the final loss to South Africa:
