Eddie Jones on Rugby Australia’s $70.6m Surplus

Eddie Jones says he’s taking his “first step to be a rugby politician”, then proves it with a blunt take on World Rugby power and why Japan’s “home” game against Ireland is being played in Newcastle.

David Pembroke and Eddie cover Eddie’s Townsville scouting mission ahead of Japan’s August match against Australia, the Super Rugby event weekend in Christchurch, and why the gap between New Zealand and Australia still needs long-term fixes. They dig into Rugby Australia’s huge $70.6m operating surplus (driven by the British and Irish Lions Tour), then argue over where the money must go, from pathways to the Wallaroos program. Plus listener questions on bringing back a centralised national academy, whether Super Rugby has “had its life”, and what Australian rugby must do to stop losing top talent to the NRL.

RUGBY UNITY LIVE! IN NEWCASTLE 10 JULY 2026: tickets.iwannaticket.com.au/event/hunter-rugby-luncheon-japan-v-ireland-61ffdo

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In this episode:
00:00 🧥 “First step to be a rugby politician”
01:00 ✈️ Eddie’s marathon Australia tour and NRL insights
03:00 🏟️ Christchurch stadium launch and Super Rugby event model
06:00 📉 Australian teams struggling and long-term imbalance
07:30 💰 $70m surplus: Lions Tour saves Rugby Australia
10:00 🏉 Invest where? Wallabies, pathways and women’s game
12:00 🛣️ Pathways vs NRL: keeping Australia’s best talent
14:00 🔁 Hybrid players: centres in the back row evolution
17:00 🇯🇵 Japan forced to host Ireland in Newcastle
20:00 🎤 Rugby Unity Live heads to Newcastle
24:00 🌍 Women’s Six Nations surge and professionalism gap
28:00 🍁 Canada model vs Canada men’s decline
31:00 🌴 NRL threat to Pacific rugby dominance
33:00 🏫 National academy debate and centres of excellence
41:00 🏆 Super Rugby future: provincial reset idea
51:00 🏛️ RFU governance reform fails again
54:00 🌍 Spain World Cup ambitions and U20 depth shift
58:00 🔥 Samu Kerevi form and “leather patch rules”
01:00:00 🎯 Japan selection focus and Nations Cup prep

Call to action:
📌 Should Japan have been forced to play Ireland in Newcastle instead of Tokyo?

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