Japan have suspended head coach Eddie Jones for four matches and cut his salary after an incident involving “verbal abuse directed at local officials” during a tour in Australia. The Japan Rugby Football Union (JRFU) confirmed the penalty on Friday, stating that the 66-year-old Australian violated their ethics and disciplinary regulations while on duty with the Japan Under-23 team in April.
Jones will miss Japan’s Nations Championship opener against Italy on 4 July, along with two games against Hong Kong on 22 and 29 May, and the Japan XV match against the Māori All Blacks on 27 June. The JRFU said the sanctions were imposed following an investigation into his conduct on the tour.
In a statement, Jones accepted the disciplinary action and apologised for his behaviour. “I accept the disciplinary action of the JRFU relating to the U23 Japan national team tour of Australia,” he said. “Some inappropriate remarks that I made caused discomfort to local match officials and other related parties. I would like to offer my sincere apologies to everyone involved. I deeply regret my behaviour and words and will make every effort to ensure that this doesn’t happen again.”
The suspension marks a difficult moment for Jones, who returned to coach Japan earlier this year after a successful stint with the team from 2012 to 2015. He previously led England from 2015 to 2022 but was sacked after a poor run of results.
