Eddie Jones keeps up his press‑conference persona ahead of Japan’s Nations Championship trip to Cardiff
Eddie Jones, ahead of Japan's Nations Championship match with Wales in Cardiff on Saturday, resumed his familiar press‑conference role, mixing mischief and provocation while speaking to media in the build‑up to the game.
Jones has long made headlines off the field as much as on it, coaching in Australia, England, Japan and South Africa and turning his media appearances into events; at 66 he is described as belonging to an older generation of head coaches. Commentators in the piece compared his style with others from that era, noting Warren Gatland's intimidating presence and Jose Mourinho proclaiming himself 'The Special One', and contrasted those examples with more recent coaches such as Wales head coach Steve Tandy and Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler, who emphasise connection and collaboration.
The article recalled several high‑profile instances of Jones's provocations, including his 2018 questioning of whether Wales fly‑half Rhys Patchell could handle the pressure of playing England at Twickenham and his description of Warren Gatland's team as "confident and cocky". It also recorded that Jones apologised in 2018 after footage surfaced of him using "some choice language" to describe Wales and Ireland at a sponsor's event the previous year.
On the motives behind such remarks, Jones told BBC Sport: "Some of them were planned to an extent. Others might have come out of the press conference. Sometimes you say things at the press conference that you don't mean to say. But, yeah, sometimes." He offered that some comments were intentional while others emerged spontaneously during media exchanges.
Jones made a further candid admission about his time with England, saying: "And particularly with England, I always felt with the English that they didn't have enough confidence in themselves." He added: "So I felt one of my roles was to give them that confidence, to be almost the battering ram for them." The article said Jones used mind games both to unsettle opponents and to relieve pressure on his players, and that he accepted drawing attention to himself as part of that approach.
The profile set out contrasts in Jones's character: it called him an "extraordinary workaholic" with "almost impossible standards", citing players' accounts of receiving messages from him at 3am and then facing questions at breakfast about why they had not replied. At the same time, the piece noted examples of Jones's quieter commitments to the game, saying he has quietly turned up at local clubs to coach minis and has driven hours to a player's testimonial dinner without charging a fee.
The article traced recent highs and lows in Jones's career, recording that England dismissed him in 2022 and that his return to Australia ended with the Wallabies' first pool‑stage exit at the 2023 World Cup; it added that after Australia were thrashed by Wales in Lyon his trademark grin was absent and he was described as prickly. Three years later, preparing for Japan's trip to Cardiff, he appeared relaxed and generous with his answers. It also recorded personal background details that he was born in Australia to a Japanese mother and has had two spells as Japan head coach.
When asked which Welsh player had made the greatest impression on him, Jones responded with a specific praise for Liam Williams, telling the Scrum V podcast: "Every time I come to Millennium Stadium (sic), I have this picture of Liam Williams winning box kicks," and added: "He was all elbows and knees, but he could do something brilliant in the game." He spoke warmly of Cardiff's Principality Stadium, praised Steve Tandy's rebuilding work and the leadership of Dewi Lake and Jac Morgan, and addressed Welsh supporters directly: "So, yeah, for the Welsh supporters, just keep backing your team." He concluded with a final qualification: "But don't back them too much on Saturday."
