Felix Jones is officially returning to the Springboks coaching team from 1 March 2025, reuniting with Rassie Erasmus after his departure from England, SA Rugby confirmed today. Jones, a key figure in South Africa’s 2019 and 2023 Rugby World Cup triumphs, had long been expected to make a move after leaving his role with England late last year.

His next step had been the subject of intense speculation, with many believing he could return to Munster Rugby, where he previously played and coached. However, Munster appointed Donk MacMillan as their new head coach yesterday, clearing the way for Jones to rejoin the Springboks.

Jones Reunites with Erasmus After England Departure 

Jones originally joined the Springboks ahead of the 2019 Rugby World Cup, where he played a crucial behind-the-scenes role in South Africa’s victory. His influence continued in 2023, with his tactical analysis and defensive expertise helping the Boks secure back-to-back titles.

After the World Cup, Jones moved to England Rugby under Steve Borthwick, but his stint was always viewed as a short-term arrangement. His departure from England had already been announced months ago, fueling speculation about his next move. While Munster was seen as a potential destination, Erasmus wasted no time in bringing him back into the South African setup.

What Jones Brings to the Springboks in 2025

Jones’ return is a significant boost for the Springboks as they prepare for key challenges, including the 2025 British & Irish Lions tour and the 2027 Rugby World Cup. His strengths in:

• Defensive structures

• Opposition analysis

• Game-planning and tactical adjustments

With his return to the Springboks now official, Jones will be expected to hit the ground running as South Africa looks to maintain its dominance on the world stage.

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The draw will take place at 9 pm on Wednesday, July 21st and is staged in Lausanne, Switzerland.

It will be streamed live on HeinekenChampionsCup.com and will include the winners of the three domestic leagues involved in the competition – Top 14 and Champions Cup holders Stade Toulousain, Gallagher Premiership winners Harlequins and Pro14 winners Leinster.

The draw will consist of eight teams from the three leagues mentioned above, as it did last season.

The teams who have qualified from the three leagues will be listed from one to eight for the draw, with number one being the champions.

The clubs will first be placed into four tiers based on their rankings, before being drawn into two pools of 12 – Pool A and Pool B.

Clubs from the same league in the same tier will not be drawn into the same pool.

Tier 1 will have numbers one and two on the qualifiers in it with Tier 2 having numbers three and four.

Tier 3 will have numbers five and six while Tier 4 will have numbers seven and eight.

The Tier 1 and the Tier 4 clubs which have been drawn in the same pool, but which are not in the same league, will play one another home and away during the pool stage.

Tier 2 and Tier 3 sides that are in the same pool but not from the same domestic league will do the same.

Once the draw is concluded, clubs will know their pool stage opponents and EPCR will begin work on the fixture schedule with an announcement of exact dates, venues, kick-off times and TV coverage following as soon as practicable.

The 2021/22 tournament will be played over nine weekends with four rounds of matches in the pool stage starting in December when Stade Toulousain begin the defence of their title.

The eight highest-ranked clubs from each pool will qualify for the knockout stage which will consist of a Round of 16 on a home and away basis, quarter-finals and semi-finals, with the final in Marseille on 28 May 2022.

2021/22 Heineken Champions Cup qualifiers

Gallagher Premiership: 1 Harlequins, 2 Exeter Chiefs, 3 Bristol Bears, 4 Sale Sharks, 5 Northampton Saints, 6 Leicester Tigers, 7 Bath Rugby, 8 Wasps
Guinness PRO14: 1 Leinster Rugby, 2 Munster Rugby, 3 Ulster Rugby, 4 Connacht Rugby, 5 Scarlets, 6 Ospreys, 7 Cardiff Rugby, 8 Glasgow Warriors
TOP 14: 1 Stade Toulousain, 2 Stade Rochelais, 3 Racing 92, 4 Union Bordeaux-Bègles, 5 ASM Clermont Auvergne, 6 Stade Français Paris, 7 Castres Olympique, 8 Montpellier Hérault Rugby

Pool Draw tiers

Tier 1: Harlequins, Exeter Chiefs, Leinster Rugby, Munster Rugby, Stade Toulousain, Stade Rochelais
Tier 2: Bristol Bears, Sale Sharks, Ulster Rugby, Connacht Rugby, Racing 92, Union Bordeaux-Bègles
Tier 3: Northampton Saints, Leicester Tigers, Scarlets, Ospreys, ASM Clermont Auvergne, Stade Français Paris
Tier 4: Bath Rugby, Wasps, Cardiff Rugby, Glasgow Warriors, Castres Olympique, Montpellier Hérault Rugby

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Liam Williams comes in to replace the injured Josh Adams who has an ankle injury. Adams who scored a hat trick of tries against Italy is out for the rest of the tournament. Josh Navidi comes in to replace Taulupe Faletau who is now on the bench for this crucial game in London. In total four changes are made from the loss to France. Tomos Williams comes into scrum half, while Rob Evans comes into the front row.

Pivac speaking about the selected XV said, “Liam’s return to full fitness is a positive after the loss of Josh (Adams), as is the return of Josh Navidi,”. In addition he said, “We have had the chance to put the disappointments of the loss to France behind us and we know heading to London we need to be more clinical in attack and convert the opportunities that we are creating.”

Firstly, Leigh Halfpenny is named at full back, while George North and Liam Williams are on the wings. In the centre, Hadleigh Parkes continues with Nick Tompkins. Dan Biggar is named at fly half and Tomos Williams at scrum half. The front row will see Rob Evans partner Scarlet’s club man Ken Owens, along with Dillion Lewis. Jake Ball is named is the second row along with captain Alun Wyn Jones. Ross Moriarty, Justin Tipuric and Josh Navidi complete the back row.

Wales have lost at Twickenham on their last four visits. However, they are the current Six Nations champions and won’t fear England. Their last win at Twickenham was a 28-15 win.

Wales: L Halfpenny (Scarlets); G North (Ospreys), N Tompkins (Saracens), H Parkes (Scarlets), L Williams (Scarlets); D Biggar (Northampton), T Williams (Cardiff Blues); R Evans (Scarlets), K Owens (Scarlets), D Lewis (Cardiff Blues), J Ball (Scarlets), A W Jones (Ospreys, capt), R Moriarty (Dragons), J Tipuric (Ospreys), J Navidi (Cardiff Blues).

Replacements: R Elias (Scarlets), R Carre (Saracens), L Brown (Dragons), A Shingler (Scarlets), T Faletau (Bath), R Webb (Bath), J Evans (Cardiff Blues), J McNicholl (Scarlets).

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