Hansen's 'pretty surprising' verdict on Jones' England dismissal

Former All Blacks boss Steve Hansen has shared his thoughts on the decision by England to dismiss Eddie Jones as boss nine months out from the start of the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France. It was Jones’ England who dethroned Hansen’s All Blacks at the 2019 finals in Japan, the English winning a semi-final clash against New Zealand before losing in the final versus South Africa.

With Hansen stepping down after that campaign and switching to coaching in the Japanese Top League, he hasn’t encountered Jones since then but their paths are now set to cross as Jones will coach the Barbarians in May at Twickenham against a World XV coached by Hansen.

As things stand, both Jones and Hansen will be watching the action unfold at next year’s Rugby World Cup in France from the stands rather than the coaching boxes. Hansen admitted his eyebrows were raised when he heard England had parted company with Jones so close to rugby’s showpiece tournament.

He said: “It was pretty surprising that they would replace him now when all along Eddie has been saying, ‘Look, this is what we are building for’. He has been their most successful coach in history. Some might say that Clive (Woodward) is because he won a World Cup. However, the record speaks for itself, doesn’t it?

“I know Eddie had a big focus on the World Cup and that is probably what in the end cost him because he didn’t have such a good autumn and people were frustrated by that. But obviously, it’s their business and they have got to do what they think is right. Eddie has moved on, so the rest of us can too.”

It’s now 38 months since Hansen last competed against Jones and he can’t wait to renew that rivalry when his World XV challenges Jones’ Barbarians. “You relish every chance to go against Eddie,” he said. “We have known each other for a long, long time and he’s a good rugby man. He cares about the game a lot, and I consider myself someone who cares about the game too.

“It’s an opportunity to be able to be part of something that could be quite special on the day. With Eddie, you have got to expect the unexpected because one of his great attributes is his ability to analyse the opposition and set traps for them.

“He is a great planner. That is why he has been so successful with so many sides in different World Cups, having won one with South Africa. Obviously, he was building towards the one in 2023 and he is now not going to be there, which is unfortunate for him. But being the man that he is, he will move on quickly and he will still want England to do well.

“He will want to come to Twickenham (with the Barbarians) come the end of May and play a good brand of footy, and he will want to win too because he is a pretty competitive bloke.”

While he cannot wait to return to Twickenham, the 63-year-old Hansen isn’t looking to make a return to frontline coaching on the international stage for the time being. “I’m not missing it,” he added. “I love what I do at Toyota Verblitz. They are a great club and helping the young coaches through that system and trying to make the whole organisation even more professional than it is is a great challenge.

“You do miss the camaraderie of leading a team and the big occasions like playing at places like Twickenham, so you never say never, but it would have to be a pretty amazing opportunity. I owe my family a lot of time. They sacrificed a lot over a long period of time. So you never say never, but we will wait and see what happens.”

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