Eddie Jones has said Ireland are in a ‘sticky period’ after their latest loss to the All Blacks.
The former England and Australia Head Coach was speaking in Dublin ahead of Ireland’s clash with his Japan side at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday.
Japan come into this clash off the back of three defeats in-a-row, most recently in a 61-7 demolition by South Africa in a very bare-looking Wembley in London last Saturday.
Shuhei Takeuchi of Japan celebrates with teammates after scoring the team’s first try during the rugby international test between Japan and Australia. (Photo by Koki Nagahama/Getty Images)
The week beforehand, they lost narrowly 19-15 to Australia in Tokyo. This came after losing the final of the Pacific Nations Cup to Fiji, so the Brave Blossoms are in desperate need of a win.
Meanwhile Ireland will want to bounce back after last week’s loss in Chicago and while a full dissection into Irish rugby has been taking place here this week, Jones believes it’s a much easier reason as to why Ireland have fallen off their 2022/2023 peak.
‘Whenever we’ve had a good run with a number of generation players like Sexton and O’Mahony have been fantastic, haven’t they? You know, top three in the world.
Eddie Jones. (Photo by Adrian Dennis / AFP) (Photo by ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images)
‘Sexton was one of the best players in the world for a long period of time. O’Mahony was probably one of the most reliable test players.
‘And you lose a few of those players, and there’s always a little gap in the team, because the younger guys come through, they’re not quite there and they can never be like those generational players.
‘And this is the little sticky period that Ireland’s going through. But, you know, they’ve got the nucleus of a strong team. They’ve still got a strong Leinster team supporting Ireland, which is important, because they’ve got that cohesi factors that other teams don’t have.’
Japan’s flanker Ben Gunter. (Photo by Adrian Dennis / AFP) (Photo by ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images)
Jones also pointed out how there’s extraordinarily high expectations from the Irish public for Ireland to do well.
‘It’s going through a transition times and it’s always the most difficult times, particularly when you’ve had high expectation of winning. Like no one in Ireland wants Ireland to lose now. And so the expectation is to win every game, when they lose a game, it’s a calamity.
‘It’s the first time I’ve read the papers for a while and every morning and reading some stuff, and it’s a crisis in Irish rugby. But you’re still top four in the world.’
Eddie Jones. (Photo by Koki Nagahama/Getty Images)
The public have become accustomed to Ireland being one of the form sides in the world, but Jones notes that from where Ireland were at the turn of the millenium, they’ve come an extremely long way and they need to allow younger players like Crowley and Prendergast.
’20 years ago, you came on a Europe tour, and Ireland was the easiest game of the tour. The change in Irish rugby has been extraordinary, I think. Absolutely extraordinary.
‘So, you’re going through this little difficult period now, which I think you’ve just got to accept, and the young players will come through, but they need time.
Head coach Eddie Jones looks on during a Japan captain’s run at National Stadium on October 24, 2025 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Kenta Harada/Getty Images)
‘They all need time in the saddle mate. You know, they can’t just hop on the horse and be the most experienced jockey in the world. They need time, they need to learn, they need to experience a bit of pain. And obviously that’s going on at the moment.’
Looking to Saturday, one thing that Jones noticed was the ‘tall backline’ Andy Farrell has picked for this game and spoke about his Japan side struggling to contest under the high ball.
While not always being the most successful, The Brave Blossoms are one of the most respected for their expansive, running-based style of play, no matter who they go up against.
Japan’s hooker Kenji Sato. (Photo by Adrian Dennis / AFP) (Photo by ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images)
Jones, being the pragmatist he is, believes that Japan do have to adapt to the Northern Hemisphere game.
‘We’re certainly trying to develop that 100%, but you have to have the skill set and the skill set doesn’t come in two weeks.
‘The accuracy of your kicking, the ability to time your running to the contest when you want to win the ball back and then your ability to own the space where the ball’s coming to you. So we’re working on that.
Dylan Riley of Japan. (Photo by Luke Walker/Getty Images)
‘Do we have to learn how to play differently? Yes, but I think, if you want to be a top team in the world, you’ve got to be able to play a number of different ways.’
Jones then made reference to last weeks’ oppponents the Springboks and how they’re style of play has fluctuated at points this year.
With Tony Brown as Attack Coach, South Africa are looking to play a more dynamic style, centred around out-half Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezelu, but still resort to a kicking, more front up style of game when needed.
Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu. (Photo by Luke Walker/Getty Images)
‘I think it’s been interesting how South Africa has approached this season. You know, they went out first four weeks, all attack. They lose one game and it’s back to bong [gestures taking a kick]. So every team’s got to experiment and find a way to be effective.’
And being effective is what Japan will need to be on Saturday as they look to curb what many expect to be a comfortable win for Ireland.