Eddie Jones has urged his fellow Australians to support Japan when his side faces Ireland in July, as part of the inaugural Nations Championship.<\/p>\n
The New South Wales city of Newcastle will host the event on July 11, as Japan look to reignite their global presence ahead of the 2027 World Cup.<\/p>\n
Hoping to make Newcastle a home from home for his side, Jones spoke to reporters outside the stadium on Thursday, saying: \u201cIt\u2019s a great experience for us to play here, get used to the environment, maybe become the team in Newcastle.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know, when we play up here in the World Cup<\/a>, we want all the Newcastle people to support Japan.\u201d<\/p>\n Japan have not played since defeating Georgia at the back end of 2025, but before that, they had undergone five straight defeats to Tier One nations.<\/p>\n Jones is hoping to create some familiarity around the area for his side ahead of the World Cup \u2013 in particular, their opening match against Samoa.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ll be up here for a week for the Samoa game. So it\u2019s how you can maximise your preparation for that week,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s really important because we\u2019ll have a relatively young team for the World Cup. And you talk to players about their experience of a World Cup, particularly young players, and they can\u2019t remember anything, right, because it becomes a blur?<\/p>\n \u201cSo, having had the experience of playing in this ground, just that little bit of familiarity will definitely be a potential advantage.\u201d<\/p>\n Billy Searle reveals England standing after securing fly-half shirt over \u2018quality\u2019 Wallabies legend<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cIreland\u2019s a great example\u201d<\/p>\n The 66-year-old coach paid compliment to his upcoming rivals, adding that Ireland\u2019s growth within the game can inspire smaller nations.<\/p>\n \u201cIreland\u2019s a great example of what you can do with a small population. Five million people have become a top-four team in the world by really maximising the talent they\u2019ve got,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s a challenge for Japan, as it is for Australia<\/a> at the moment, to do the same sort of thing. So they\u2019re a good team, tough team, smart team, so we\u2019re looking forward to playing against them.\u201d<\/p>\n The Nations Championship is expected to draw huge numbers this summer, as it pits the best in the northern hemisphere against the best in the southern hemisphere.<\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u2019s a good innovation by World Rugby,\u201d claimed the former England and Wallabies boss.<\/p>\n