A month and a half since resigning as coach of the Wallabies, the worst kept secret in rugby has been confirmed as reports have emerged that Jones has been told he will be the next head coach of the Brave Blossoms.

Stream Over 50 Sports Live & On-Demand with Kayo. New to Kayo? Start Your Free Trial Today >

Jones has been approved as the new head coach of Japanese rugby following what was believed to be little more than a formality as the board approved his appointment.

Jones will take over the role in 2024 and will be confirmed in a press conference on Thursday.

He will return to the role, having previously led the nation to a historic win over South Africa at the 2015 World Cup in England.

It comes after local media reported that Jones was successful earlier in the week.

While expected, the news leaves a bad taste in the mouth of Australian rugby fans and official after Jones repeatedly denied any links with a return to Japanese rugby after the news broke of his first meeting for the job emerged during the World Cup.

Despite the denials from Jones, Japanese media have long had the 63-year-old as the leading candidate to take over from ex-Japanese coach Jamie Joseph.

The SMH reported in September, while Jones was still the Wallabies coach, that a second interview had been organised, which Jones had denied.

Incredibly, even as Jones resigned from the job, he continued to claim the reporting was “false”.

“There’s no named source for these stories, so there’s no credibility about the story to start with,” Jones told SMH columnist Peter FitzSimons.

“Secondly, the president of Japan Rugby happens to be a very close associate of mine. Every time I go to Japan, I have coffee with him. We talk about rugby.

“Have I met Japanese representative? Yes. But I have done that for 30 years.”

However, the proof appears to be in the pudding as Jones returns to role, in a deal that would have matched the length remaining on his five-year Wallabies deal.

The role Jones played in steering Japan to the stunning 2015 victory over South Africa — in a match remembered as “Miracle of Brighton — made him the perennial favourite on the JRFU list of candidates.

But the Sydney Morning Herald reports that there has been some “misgivings” by some of the members of the JRFU board about his appointment.

However, the report adds that several Japanese media outlets have reported that a “private deal” between the Japanese Rugby and Jones.

The Daily Telegraph reported that although some board members were wavering, Jones gave a more impressive interview than

South African Frans Ludeke, who coached Kubota Spears to last season’s Japanese club title and was believed to be the other candidate.

Jones success with Japan from 2012 to 2015 helped land him the job as coach of England, who he took to the 2019 World Cup final and eventual defeat by South Africa.

Jones was fired by England last December having won just five of 13 Tests in 2022.

He was hired by Australia in January but quit in October after two wins from nine Tests, including a worst-ever World Cup performance where the Wallabies failed to make it out of the pool phase.

With AFP