Newly appointed Wallabies coach Eddie Jones has told SEN that he knew his time as England coach was all but over following a poor 2022 campaign.
Jones was let go by the Rugby Football Union (RFU) in December 2022 after England only won five of their 13 games with losses to the Barbarians and Argentina the most damning.
Jones, who returns for his second stint as Wallabies coach, said that he completely understood the decision made by the RFU.
“At the end of the day, I’ve been coaching long enough to know that if you’re not meeting the expectations of the organisation and the fans, your time is limited,” Jones said on SEN 1170 Mornings.
“We had a tough 2022 as we didn’t do as well as we would’ve liked, the writing was on the wall.
“I try to tell the truth and that gets you into trouble sometimes.
“It was the end of seven years where I thoroughly had a good time.
“All of a sudden, I was on a plane to Australia and heading up a World Cup campaign.”
Following his departure from England, Jones entered discussions with the Rugby Australia (RA) board and chairman Hamish McLennan about returning as coach.
Jones said part of his pitch to the RA board was his ability to sell the game and compete with the major sporting codes in Australia.
“As the Wallabies coach, you do need to create interest,” Jones added.
“We need to create interest in the game.
“I was over in Perth last year and (former Australia cricket coach) Justin Langer told me that we never hear about the Wallabies anymore.
“That’s something I want to change because we want fans back supporting the Wallabies.
“You couldn’t get yourself a ticket to the Bledisloe Cup 20 years ago but now you can get them quite easily.
“We want to go through that golden period again.”
Jones will lead the Wallabies for the next five years and will be at the helm for the 2023 and 2027 Rugby World Cups.