England coach hungry for more, eyes world domination

A new name will be etched on the Webb Ellis trophy on Saturday as old foes England and South Africa collide in a re-match of the 2007 Rugby World Cup final in Yokohama.

Read: Springboks burst into RWC final with defeat over Wales

This as England head coach Eddie Jones’s career at the helm comes full circle. Famously, it was Jones as coach of his native Australia, who lifted the 2003 World Cup at the ANZ Stadium in his hometown of Sydney, beating the then England head coach, Sir Clive Ronald Woodward, to the honour after a Jonny Wilkinson drop goal in the dying seconds of extra time.

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Eddie Jones was responsible for the never-before-seen V formation which challenged the pre-kickoff haka of New Zealand (Image: Sourced).

Jones has been the head coach of the England national team since 2015, having previously coached Australia between 2001 and 2005. Yet two years later, he was sacked after conceding eight defeats in nine tests. Adding to his track record, Jones was also a consultant to the South Africa side that beat England to tournament honours twelve years ago.

Read: Frenchman to ref South Africa-England rugby final in Japan

Jones, the son of an immigrant mother whose parents were Japanese, was also the head coach of the Japan side that shocked the world by handing the Springboks a 34-32 defeat at the 2015 World Cup. But as England coach, the 59-year-old native Australian won a Grand Slam in his first Six Nations and guided the side to a world-record equalling run of 18 consecutive test wins against major opposition.

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England take on South Africa in the Rugby World Cup final on Saturday in Yokohama in a repeat of the 2007 match-up in France (Image: Getty Images).

Fast-forward to last week, and the stunning semi-final win over pre-tournament favourites and reigning champions, New Zealand, was a tactical triumph for Jones. He was responsible for the never-before-seen V formation which challenged the pre-kickoff haka of New Zealand.

In that game, Jones also chose as his captain the once seen as an intemperate figure, Owen Farrell, and has skillfully switched between using the skipper, and George Ford at fly-half in his “horses for courses” strategy during the knockout games.

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“It was certainly interesting, and it was certainly something new and it brought some spice to the test match,” – Rassie Erasmus on Eddie Jones tactic against New Zealand (Image: Sourced).

His opposite number in cup challenger for the Webb Ellis trophy, Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus, seemed to laud Jones’ tactical challenge of the haka, a mere few days before the titanic duel between the two rugby powerhouses unfolds.

Erasmus said he wasn’t 100 per cent sure what to make of the formation but did say it was something new in world rugby that excited everybody. “I don’t think it was disrespectful. It was certainly interesting, and it was certainly something new and it brought some spice to the test match,” he said.