Eddie Jones’ verdict on new All Blacks coach frontrunners and the star New Zealand should ‘pay double’ to return
Jamie Joseph and an inset of Eddie Jones.
Eddie Jones has weighed in on the two frontrunners to replace Scott Robertson as the All Blacks head coach and the ‘sensational’ player New Zealand should lure back.
Following the shock announcement of Robertson’s departure last month, reports state that the race to be his successor has come down to two men: Jamie Joseph and Dave Rennie.
This after the likes of Joe Schmidt, Vern Cotter and John Mitchell all ruled themselves out of the running for the position. New Zealand Rugby reportedly reached out to Sir Steve Hansen and Ian Foster, requesting that the pair of former head coaches apply for the vacancy.
Eddie Jones on Dave Rennie and Jamie Joseph
Warren Gatland, Wayne Pivac and Kieran Crowley all meet the criteria set out by NZ Rugby to fill the position but still, it is largely seen as a two-horse race between Rennie and Joseph, and Jones believes that both coaches are well-equipped to step up to the plate.
When NZ Rugby advertised the position, they insisted that potential candidates had to be New Zealanders and have to have international head coaching experience.
Jones agreed with that decision as he doesn’t believe that New Zealand needs to look at foreign coaches for Robertson’s successor. He did speak glowingly about Rennie and Joseph. Jones replaced the former as Australia’s head coach in 2023, while the latter succeeded him at Japan in 2016.
“New Zealand rugby is so strong that they need their own coaches, and there are some good guys there,” the Japan boss told the DSPN podcast with Martin Devlin.
“Jamie’s had a good apprenticeship with Japan. He did eight years there. He had a great run into 2019, then the next period of time during COVID was probably a pretty tough period for him; he will have learned a lot from that.
“Dave Rennie was doing a good job with Australia; he has got a great record at the Chiefs and Glasgow, and he’s coaching in form at the moment. His Kobe team is playing unbelievably.”
Get Brodie back
Regardless of who takes over, Jones believes that they should attempt to lure All Blacks lock Brodie Retallick back to New Zealand.
The likes of Richie Mo’unga, Ardie Savea and Cheslin Kolbe are all playing their club rugby in the Japan Rugby League competition but in Jones’ opinion, it’s the experienced second rower who is the best player and by some distance.
“I tell you, mate, the All Black I’d get back is Brodie Retallick. You should see him play up here. 35! He’s the best player here by an absolute mile; every game is absolutely sensational,” he remarked.
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Age shouldn’t be an issue, according to Jones, who continued: “You think what’s happening in sport at the moment, like 35 used to be an old man in sport, and players are playing until they’re 36, 37, 38 in rugby, in basketball we see they’re playing until 40.
“So he’d be a guy that if I did get a tap on the shoulder, I’d be saying, ‘Come on let’s go, let’s go again, whatever they’re paying you, we’ll pay you double’.”
