November 15, 2026 — 1:30pm
In mid-2022, after Eddie Jones had coached England to a 22-17 victory over the Wallabies, a punter in the SCG stands got under the skin of the Australian by calling him a “traitor”.
“Come here and say it!” Jones shot back.
His return was celebrated by Rugby Australia, but David Nucifora lasted less than a year in the role before joining a rival nation. Sportsfile via Getty Images Not long after that, Jones was back as Wallabies coach for a much-hyped second coming that ended in disaster after an ignominious exit from the group stage at the 2023 World Cup.
Jones isn’t the only Aussie in recent years to have raised optimism by returning to the fold in his home country, only to depart soon after. High in the Murrayfield stands plotting the Wallabies’ downfall against Scotland was another highly regarded coach, David Nucifora, who came and went just as quickly as Jones – minus the destruction.
Does Nucifora expect a similar reception to Jones in Edinburgh?
“I think they’re used to me working for the other side after all this time with Ireland, Scotland and the Lions,” he quipped. “I’m probably more closely aligned to the northern hemisphere after all these years than I am back home.”
In many ways, Nucifora’s departure was more significant than that of Jones. As Ireland’s perfo
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