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Lyn Jones steps down as head coach of the Netherlands

Netherlands flanker Wolf Van Dyk (left) with head coach Lyn Jones (right) after their win against Poland in the 2024 Rugby Europe Men's Championship. Photo: Dennis van de Sande / Rugby Europe

Lyn Jones has stepped down from his role as head coach of the Netherlands after failing to lead the team into the next stage of World Cup qualifying.

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The Netherlands lost 31-10 to Belgium in the playoff for fifth place in the Rugby Europe Championship in March, which cost them a place at the Final Qualification Tournament in November.

The winner of the Final Qualification Tournament will become the 24th and final team to stamp their ticket to Australia.

With the World Cup extended to 24 teams in 2027, the Netherlands appeared to have their best chance yet of making their tournament debut, but they fell short when it mattered, and Jones has walked away.

Up until the Belgium defeat, the Welshman’s record in charge had been looked upon in a positive light with nine wins from 17 Tests.

The former Wales flanker, who has previous international coaching experience with Russia and Namibia, took charge of his first game in November 2022, a 37-25 defeat at home to Canada.

In club rugby, the 60-year-old presided over the Ospreys’ most successful period during his time as head coach of the Welsh region, winning the Celtic League twice (2005 and 2007) and the Anglo-Welsh Cup (2008), so it’s unlikely he will be short of offers.

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Reflecting on his time in charge, less than 24 hours after the news broke, Jones told RugbyPass: “I’m so proud of the progress made in Netherlands rugby. I’m lucky to have worked with wonderful people that have made me smile and brought the best out of me. It’s now the turn of the next man to pick up the reins and drive Netherlands forward.”

The newly appointed chairman of Rugby Netherlands, Friso Horstmeijer, has the task of finding a replacement for Jones as well as a new performance director after Kristhof Vanhout moved on.

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WI 19 minutes ago
How 'misunderstood' Rassie Erasmus is rolling back the clock

It isn’t just the running rugby, but everything else as well. The Boks have a sense of desperation that sets in when they are matched physically, that cannot at times be offset by their skillset. One of the reasons, as far as i understand it, for Tony Brown’s introduction to the set up was to increase the Boks strike plays along with among many things. Is this not Rassie’s assessment of the Pool loss to Ireland? If you watch that game, so many opportunities, yet an unconverted try and a lone penalty to show for all those scrum penalties, stolen lineouts and 5 m maul attempts?


Fast Forward to Durban, the Boks could not score a single try? Led 24-19 with 65 minutes to go, led 24-22 with 40 seconds to go with a scrum, of all things in Ireland’s 22, yet end up losing the game. At the end of that series they had won 3 out of the 4 halves of rugby, yet drew the series.


Who could forget the infamous quarterfinal loss to the Wallabies in the 2011 WC Quarterfinal? Desperation as the time ticked on, in came the small things and the skillset failed.


The Boks have almost got it all, this one thing, as Eddie Jones said back in 2007, if the Boks get it, they might become unplayable. I think Rassie have realized as much by the failures of previous Bok teams. Boks Vs Robbie Deans, Heyneke Meyer VS All Blacks, 4 Straight Defeat to Wales? All i am saying, is that it isn’t readily apparent to me, that the Boks have it yet, and if they do, maybe it should ascend pass other nations? However, what would the school, domestic rugby philosophies not do to hinder it?


Gone are the extreme ends of the spectrum represented by Heyneke Meyer’s Bash Ball and Alister Coetzee’s flying with the fairies, as neither work for the Boks. It is obvious, that the gold lies in the combination of Mallet and to an extend Rassie. Not sure one coach would be able to change the mindset of a Rugby Nation, and to help me not hear my Bulls Fanatic neighbor shout “ Vok hul op!”

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