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Ugo Monye says it “stinks” that Eddie Jones has resigned as Australia head coach after barely nine months.
The 63-year-old denied reports during the tournament in France that he had held discussions with Japan.
“Australia had him on a long-term deal, but this whole project has been selfish and self-centred,” former England wing Monye told BBC Rugby Union Daily.
“I think Rugby Australia were put in a tough position. Eddie is very convincing as a person and you have to sift through some of the nonsense he says at times and you know when he is just saying things for effect.
“You can’t come in and uproot a coaching staff, sack off some legends of the game, take a punt and a gamble on some young kids, get booted from a World Cup and then say ‘cheerio’.”
Jones succeeded Dave Rennie to return as Wallabies coach on a contract covering two World Cups and the British and Irish Lions tour in 2025.
He was available after being sacked by the Rugby Football Union last December after seven years in charge of England.
Jones led Australia and England to World Cup finals in 2003 and 2019 respectively, but his sides lost on both occasions.
Upon his return for a second spell with the Wallabies, an emotional Jones said it was a “great honour” to coach the side as “a proud Australian”.
Australia were upset by Fiji and lost heavily to Wales in a disappointing 2023 World Cup campaign, eventually finishing third in their pool.
They won only two of their nine Tests after Jones’ return, with those victories coming against tier-two nations Georgia and Portugal at the World Cup.
Monye says Jones’ resignation is “not cool”.
“I’m just really disappointed for so many different reasons,” he added. “The reason he went into Australia was because Dave Rennie lost his job nine months ago.
“I remember watching one of his first interviews as a guy who was passionate and emotional and was crying on camera, saying what it means to come back and coach Australia as an Australian.
“Then you started hearing more than whispers that he was having conversations with Japan.
“He said he was definitely staying, so where has all the integrity gone?
“Rugby Australia took a gamble but they weren’t at ground zero [under Dave Rennie]. There is no way they could have envisaged 10 months after they brought this guy in on a long-term deal that he would resign after bowing out of the World Cup pool stage for the first time in their history.
“This stinks and this is not cool.
“I interviewed loads of Aussie rugby fans in France and they said they were behind the players but not Eddie.
“In the last year, Eddie has lost the English rugby public and then the Australian rugby public in eight games. That’s a remarkable skill.”
