Jamie Joseph may leave Japan after World Cup

This would be a surprise. Maybe the JRFU thought it had a stronger bargaining position, after Joseph didn't get the NZ job. The union might have tried to make a new contract conditional on performance at the tournament.

Japan rugby head coach Jamie Joseph is ready to leave his post after the World Cup in France, sources familiar with the matter said Friday.

The 53-year-old from New Zealand initially had opted to stay on after his second World Cup with the Brave Blossoms but negotiations did not go smoothly, according to the sources.

In March, Masato Tsuchida, president of the Japan Rugby Football Union, called Joseph the No. 1 candidate for the team beyond the Rugby World Cup, to be held between Sept. 8 and Oct. 28.

Joseph became the Brave Blossoms' head coach in 2016 and came up with their best-ever World Cup result three years later, a quarterfinal finish on home soil. He then extended his contract.

During his active years, Joseph played for the All Blacks at the 1995 World Cup and for Japan at the 1999 World Cup.

Bit mad. Wonder if he will look to Super Rugby now.

Japanese press reports reckon the JRFU will try and get Eddie Jones back. Jones is supposed to be contracted until the 2027 World Cup. However, he recently suggested that, win or lose in 2023, he probably wouldn't keep coaching the Wallabies to the next tournament. Rugby Australia played down the comments, and they had previously talked of making him a Director of Rugby, so it's all as clear as mud.

The JRFU has said it would like a coach with knowledge of Japan as a country, the Top League, and a good contacts with the rest of the rugby world. The list is not that long: Jamie Joseph, Eddie Jones, Robbie Deans, Steve Borthwick, Tony Brown, Frans Ludeke, and Todd Blackadder are probably the main people who fit that description. Possibly Michael Cheika, although he didn't spend a lot of time in Japan.

The Blues have appointed Vern Cotter, so that's one less Super Rugby job vacant. The Crusaders have Rob Penney and The Hurricanes have Clark Laidlaw, while Clayton McMillan extended to 2026 with the Chiefs. The Highlanders had a rough season, so Clarke Dermody could be swapped out after just a year but the CEO publicly backed just the other day.