League One club Suntory Sungoliath paid Eddie Jones’ salary during his first reign in charge of the Brave Blossoms, RugbyJP can exclusively reveal.
Jones, 64, first took over the Brave Blossoms head coach role in 2012 after guiding Suntory to the All-Japan Rugby Football Championship in 2011 and the Top League title in 2012.
A source deep inside the Japanese scene told RugbyJP that Suntory footed the bill for Jones’ Brave Blossoms salary.
The Australian led Japan from 2012 – 2015 and his first stint in charge is best remembered for the ‘Brighton Miracle’ which saw the then tier-two nation humble South Africa in arguably the sport’s greatest upset.
Jones joined England from 2015 – 2022 before a short-lived return to lead Australia last year and was re-appointed by Japan Rugby in December just 46 days after overseeing the Wallabies’ first group stage exit in a World Cup.
The 2017 World Rugby Coach of The Year’s Suntory ties were instrumental in facilitating his return to coach Japan as he has kept a close relationship with Japan Rugby Football Union (JRFU) President Masato Tsuchida who is a former Suntory player and head coach.
Jones, who was an assistant with Suntory in 1997 – in his first overseas club role - controversially maintained his consultancy role with the Suntory during his time as England’s head coach.
Despite strenuously denying that he had a secret interview with JRFU bosses while preparing the Wallabies for the World Cup in France, Jones returned to sign a bumper four-year contract through to the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia.
Cash-rich Suntory has lured some of the game's biggest names to Fuchu in the Top League era and went on the biggest spending spree in their history last season as they lured former All Blacks captain Sam Cane and and Springboks superstar Cheslin Kolbe to League One.
The star-laden club is owned by the Suntory beverage company, a leading Japanese brewing and distilling company group.
In the fiscal year 2024, the profit of Suntory Holdings Limited was forecast to reach 153 billion Japanese yen, after the previous years' results exceeded company's initials forecast.
Jones’ Japan, who were routed by Fiji 41-17 in the Pacific Nations Cup Grand Final on home soil in September, host New Zealand on Saturday at the 72,327-capacity Nissan Stadium in Yokohama.
Suntory Sungoliath and the JRFU both declined to comment when approached by RugbyJP.
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