World Cup: Stephen Larkham backs Eddie Jones to lead Wallabies

There have been calls for Jones' head after a record-breaking 40-6 loss to Wales on Monday. The defeat came just hours after reports revealed he had met with Japanese officials regarding their coaching role for 2024.

The Wallabies have won just one of eight games under Jones in his return to the role this year. The fallout from the latest loss has been vicious, with many fans and ex-players voicing their displeasure with the direction of Australian rugby.

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Larkham was coached by Jones during the golden era and said Jones can play a key role in ushering in a new generation of success.

"I'm hoping Eddie stays on board," Larkham said. "He didn't quite get there in time this year, he didn't have a long prep going into the World Cup, but I like what he's doing with the team.

"I love the way he coaches, I love his outlook on rugby and I love his outlook on life so I'm not going to speculate as to whether he's not going to be there, I'm just assuming he's going to be there."

The Wallabies' woeful World Cup comes at the start of a so-called golden decade for the sport. The results in France provide a worrying glimpse into the future and have many fans fearing the period featuring a British and Irish Lions series and home World Cup could be a disaster.

There is widespread agreement across Australia that major change is needed to rebuild the sport. There is no consensus, however, on what this change should look like.

RA chairman Hamish McLennan has used the past two weeks to push his vision for centralisation, however has provided limited detail on how it would work. Multiple Super Rugby franchises are reluctant to hand their entire organisations over to a body that has presided over a historic decline in results.

The Brumbies held a tense meeting with RA officials last week as they debated the governing body's plan.

Larkham saw first-hand the benefits of centralisation when coaching in Ireland, but said head office must provide more detail.

"There's a number of things on the table," he said. "[Centralisation's] worked well for other countries around the world. We're thrashing out the detail at the top level and until we get that detail, I can't give you a definitive answer as to whether it's a model that's going to work in Australia or not.

"There needs to be systematic changes to the way the game is played and administered in Australia. Knowing there's a bit of change, it's difficult. Change is difficult for a lot of people, but it's also exciting when you think about the prospects ahead."

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