Eddie Jones has stepped down from his role as head coach of Australia just 10 months into a five-year contract after the Wallabies’ pool-stage World Cup exit.

Australia lost in the pool stage of the Rugby World Cup. It was the first time in the tournament’s history that they didn’t make it to the play-offs.

Jones took over as coach of the Wallabies for a second time in January and will leave his job on November 25.

Rugby Australia thanked Jones for what they called his “commitment to the Wallabies in 2023” and wished him “the best in all that he does in the future.”

It also said that an announcement would be made “in due course” about the future of Australia’s caching staff.

Jones was fired by England just one month before becoming head coach of the Wallabies, taking over from Dave Rennie. He signed a contract that lasts until 2027, which is the year that Australia hosts the next Rugby World Cup.

Jones played down rumours that he might be returning to Japan as a coach during this year’s tournament, saying that he was “committed” to his job with Australia.

He led Australia to the World Cup final in 2003 and England to the final in 2019, but both times his teams lost.

Jones told the Sydney Morning Herald on Sunday, “I ran with it.” “Hopefully, I’ll be the one to bring about change.”

In a disappointing 2023 season, Australia lost badly to Wales and was upset by Fiji. They ended up finishing third in their pool.

After Jones came back, they only won two of the nine Tests they played. Those wins came against Georgia, a Tier 2 country, and Portugal at the World Cup.

Photo by EPA/Guillaume Horcajuelo