Why Jones is leaving Japan for Stormers

Cape Town - Japan coach Eddie Jones has revealed why he decided to leave the Brave Blossoms for the Stormers.

The Stormers on Monday officially announced the signing of Jones ahead of next year’s Super Rugby competition.

The 55-year-old will arrive in Cape Town at the conclusion of his 2015 Rugby World Cup commitments with Japan.

In an interview with The Independent, Jones explained his decision to end his tenure in Japan.

“I’ve found myself questioning the ambition of the people running the sport there. It’s very disappointing,” he said.

The initial intention was for Jones to coach the new Japanese team in an expanded Super Rugby competition next year, but slow progress in the formation of the team frustrated the former Wallabies mentor.

“I worked pretty hard to make the Super Rugby thing happen, but it doesn’t look like working out,” he said. “There are a lot of issues in Japanese rugby at the moment and I don’t feel things are moving forward in the right way.”

WP Director of Rugby Gert Smal welcomed Jones’ decision to join the Stormers.

“As I said from the start (of our search for a coach), this has been a thorough process, which saw me look both internally and externally,” Smal said via a press statement.

“Eddie was always on my mind in terms of potential external candidates and it’s a massive coup that we have signed a coach of his ability - really, his coaching credentials and achievements do speak for themselves.

“I really enjoyed our interactions and working with Eddie during the 2007 World Cup, he can add even more value here - both in terms of pushing for trophies and, importantly, in helping the continued development of our coaches and players.”