Here are five things you definitely didn’t know about England head coach Eddie Jones, including his career before he started coaching!
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1. Place of birth
Eddie Jones was actually born in Burnie, Tasmania, to a Japanese American mother and an Australian father. This island is to the south of the Australian mainland.
2. Career prior to coaching
In 1994 Jones gave up his career as a teacher and school principal to coach his former club Randwick. Then he went to Japan where he had brief stints coaching Tokai University, Japan (as assistant coach) and Suntory Sungoliath.
3. British & Irish Lions
Eddie Jones, who has been tipped to lead the tourists against Australia in 2025, actually played against the British and Irish Lions for New South Wales B in 1989. In 2001, he also coached Australia A to victory over the British & Irish Lions.
4. Premiership stint
The hooker also made three appearances for Leicester Tigers during the 1991/92 season in England. He'd return to England 15 years later, coaching Saracens between 2007 and 2009,
5. Family
He is married to Hiroko Jones, a Japanese woman whom he met while teaching at the International Grammar School in Sydney They have a daughter, Chelsea Jones, who has been involved in rugby all her life, playing in her younger years before moving into the administrative side of the game. Having started in Japan, she worked at numerous clubs before becoming the Wallabies Team Manager of Logistics & Operations.
