The Japanese Rugby Union has officially confirmed that Jamie Joseph signed a new contract to extend his tenure as coach of the national team.

Joseph’s new contract will run from 1 January 2020 until 31 December 2023, taking him through past the end of the next World Cup in France.

It will also rule the 49-year-old out of the running to succeed Steve Hansen as the new All Blacks head coach. Joseph was one of 26 candidates who were approached by New Zealand Rugby to apply for the job and was heavily favoured, along with the Crusaders’ Scott Robertson and All Blacks assistant Ian Foster.

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Since taking over from Eddie Jones, Joseph and his coaching staff have taken the Brave Blossoms up another level, guiding the national team to the quarter-finals of the World Cup after historic wins over both Ireland and Scotland. Japan finished the 2019 Test calendar in eighth place in the World Rugby rankings.

‘We achieved the goal of the finishing in the top eight, but there are still more issues to be tackled,’ Joseph said. ‘To that end, I chose the path to challenge with the Japanese national team again. I want to strengthen the team.’

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