Eddie Jones has insisted that he will stay on as Australia head coach despite the team's early exit at the Rugby World Cup.
The Wallabies suffered a pool-stage exit for the first time in their history during this year's tournament, losing to Wales and Fiji en route to a third-placed finish in Pool C.
The performances were a continuation of Australia's poor form in the buildup to the tournament, with the two-time world champions having lost seven of their nine matches since Jones returned in January.
Speculation also surfaced during the tournament that Jones had held talks over a possible second spell in charge of Japan, but the former England boss insists that there is no truth to those rumours.
"I'm staying. I've always been committed to Australian rugby. I want to leave it in a better place and that's still the job," he told reporters.
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"It's not absolutely my decision. We play in a game where the coach doesn't decide how long they stay.
"I went to the World Cup, came in [with] a short period of time, had to make a decision on the team, made a decision we needed to go with youth.
"While the results at the World Cup weren't the results we wanted, I think I've left the Australian team in a great position to go on to 2027. We just weren't good enough.
"You've just got to watch the quarter-finals. We're not at that level and we can't pretend to be at that level, but can we be at that level by 2027? Yes we can."
On the rumours of talks with Japan, Jones added: "I haven't spoken to anyone."
The 63-year-old, who led Australia to the 2003 World Cup final during his first stint in charge, currently has a contract with the Wallabies until after the next World Cup in 2027, which will be held in Australia.
Barney Corkhill
