England head coach Eddie Jones has agreed a contract extension which will see him continue in the role until the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France, the Rugby Football Union (RFU) said on Thursday.
The Australian's previous deal was not due to expire until August next year but his future had been the subject of speculation since he guided England to the World Cup final in Japan last November.
Eddie Jones will continue in his role as head coach until the end of the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France.
— England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) April 2, 2020
Hear what Eddie had to say about about the extension.
The 60-year-old would surpass World Cup winner Clive Woodward as England's longest-serving coach by staying in charge until the next World Cup in France.
"The extension is a great honour for me, but in the current environment, it is only right to acknowledge what a difficult time the world is facing. We are all looking forward to a time when we can get back to playing rugby and use the sport as a force for good in bringing people back together," Jones said in comments on the RFU website.
"I never thought coming here four years ago I would be doing a second four years but the circumstances are right. Obviously it is important for the team that we keep improving and my focus will be solely on that.
"I am excited about raising the standards again. We have a great team. We set out four years ago to be the best team in the world and unfortunately we missed that by 80 minutes. Now we want to be the team that is remembered as being the greatest team the game has ever seen.
"It's a big ambition but I believe we are capable of doing it. We have players with an enhanced reputation, we have a team that is expected to do well, so it’s a great opportunity for us to keep moving forward."
He had also joined RFU executives in accepting a 25% pay cut as part of the organisation's response to the coronavirus pandemic, but uncertainty over the situation has not stopped future planning.
