Former Hull FC boss Brett Hodgson lands new job following England exit

Eddie Jones put his reported long term dream of coaching in the NRL on hold for a while when he took the Australian rugby union job, following his departure as England boss.

The Australian has a well-known love for rugby league, the NRL and in particularly South Sydney Rabbitohs but he’s opted to remain in the 15-man code and take over his native Australia.

That’s led to a fear that lots of NRL talent could get snapped up by the other code given Jones’ self-confessed love of all things rugby league.

Another example of him loving and trusting rugby league comes in his most recent coaching appointment with former Hull FC boss Brett Hodgson coming on board.

Hodgson had worked with Jones in the England job and was in charge of the defensive coaching role, a job that another Super League legend Kevin Sinfield has assumed.

Fox Sports are reporting that Hodgson has linked up with Jones again and in the same role, taking on the position as Jones’ defence coach with the Wallabies.

There’s particular significance around the job at the moment given that there is a World Cup at the end of the year and that’s something the former FC boss referenced.

“I’m really excited to be back in Australia and working with the Wallabies, especially in a World Cup year,” Hodgson explained.

“There’s plenty of hard work ahead and I’m looking forward to hitting the ground running and making a positive contribution to the team.

“The Wallabies are a team everyone in Australia loves to get behind and from what I’ve seen so far, there’s plenty of talent here and that’s something that’s really exciting.”

Hodgson starred in the NRL throughout his playing career before making the switch to Super League where he won the Man of Steel award in his first season.

He played five seasons in England with Huddersfield and Warrington before taking up coaching, leading Hull FC throughout 2021 and 2022.

Jones referenced the elite coaches that Hodgson had worked with as one of the key reasons why he recruited him.

“He’s worked under some great coaching mentors like Gus Gould and Tim Sheens in his time as a player and a coach, so he’s well-schooled and I know he’ll give his best to the job of producing the best defence in world.”