Potential rugby league switch edges closer for Eddie Jones after England struggles

Whilst the England men failed to fulfil their expectations of winning or at least making the final at the 2021 Rugby League World Cup, over in rugby union there is another England side struggling on a much bigger scale.

Eddie Jones and his team are on a dismal run, with the most recent autumn series seeing the Red Roses lose two of their four games whilst also settling for a draw against New Zealand – that even requiring a late fightback against 14 men.

This marked the national side’s worst set of results across one calendar year since 2008 and, as a result, head coach Eddie Jones’ future is up in the air with Rugby Football Union (RFU) officials set to meet and discuss his future prior to the 2023 Rugby Union World Cup.

How does this tie in with rugby league though? Well, Jones has long been tipped to make the cross-code switch to league and more specifically, the NRL.

Jones has not been shy in declaring his ambitions to coach in Australia’s premier rugby league competition one day and with the pressure heating up on his future in union, there’s a potential he may make the switch that’s been on the cards for some time.

RFU chief executive Bill Sweeney stated: “We would like to thank England fans for their patience and support, it matters to us how they feel.

“Like them we are really disappointed with the results of the Autumn Nations Series. Despite strong individual performances and some great new talent coming into the team, the overall results are not where we expect them to be.”

Speculation regarding Jones’ move towards rugby league has been mainly fuelled by Jones himself. He’s a lifelong South Sydney Rabbitohs fan and has even stated that the Bunnies job “would be the dream”.

He told Nine Entertainment Co.: “If there was an opportunity there [in the NRL] I would jump at it, but the reality is it’s probably not going to be there.

“From the age of five, I’ve supported Souths. That would be fantastic [to coach the Rabbitohs]. I loved the old teams with Ronnie Coote, Bob McCarthy, John Sattler and Eric Simms.”

Jones had made these comments during the summer when visiting the Penrith Panthers, the back-to-back NRL champions, and with his potential exit from the 15-man game he may well make the switch to the 13-man code.