Former Wallabies international Morgan Turinui believes that the English rugby board are seething that former coach Eddie Jones has quickly landed a coaching role with Australia.
Jones was England coach from 2015 until he was sacked by the Rugby Football Union (RFU) in December 2022. He was then hired by Australia and will be at the helm for the next two Rugby World Cups in 2023 and 2027.
Turinui said that the last team England would want to encounter at the 2023 World Cup would be an Eddie Jones led Wallabies side.
“They didn’t think he’d bounce back so quickly,” Turinui said on SEN 1170 Breakfast.
“The (RFU) probably hadn’t thought of that the whole way through.
“Privately, (the RFU) would be absolutely filthy especially with the amount of (clout) a guy like (Jones) has.
“He has all the gossip on them as well.
“It’s a really great advantage that Australia has from that point of view.
“England would not want to play Australia because they know that it’s personal for Eddie and that Australia and England is huge no matter what sport it is.
“If it comes up on the horizon, it’d be something that England would be worried about.”
Jones won 73 per cent of matches during his time in charge of the English team, the highest win record of any England coach.
Turinui believes that a number of players will welcome Jones’ appointment as Wallabies coach including former rugby league player Suliasi Vunivalu who had fallen out of favour with former coach Dave Rennie.
“You look around the playing group and (Vunivalu) is probably the big winner,” he said.
“He didn’t quite break his way into the system and Dave Rennie’s preferred team.
“He’s been troubled by a hamstring a couple of times but with Jones as Wallabies coach, a fully fit Vunivalu is in a World Cup squad.
“Playing in rugby league, playing for the (Queensland) Reds and playing for Australia A in Japan last year, we’ve seen flashes of brilliance.
“He’s an X-factor guy that can make a real difference in your Wallabies squad.”