adminLONDON. – At times, the side hustles strayed to centre stage.
For England fans watching the 2019 Rugby World Cup from the sofa, the picture would sometimes cut from Eddie Jones glowering in the stands to a commercial break, and a wide shot of a food market in Sapporo.
Jones would be there, too – eating the meat from a giant crab leg and aiming a cheery thumbs-up to the camera to promote Japan’s tourist board.
A year earlier, the Rugby Football Union (RFU) had to apologise after Jones insulted the Welsh and Irish at a speaking gig for a Japanese truck-maker.
The Australian would also spend his holidays from England duty coaching rival players as part of a long-standing, but awkward-looking, arrangement with a Tokyo club side.
His latest freelance project was a book. Entitled Leadership, its target audience was not confined to rugby circles – but there were some juicy insights thrown in.
Mako Vunipola and George Ford discovered Jones regretted picking them for the World Cup final – the biggest match of their lives. Maro Itoje denied the book’s claim that he was having acting classes to improve his communication.
Buried in it was a prediction about how Jones and England would eventually part ways.
“It’s a sign of honour and wisdom to know when your race is run,” wrote Jones.
“You’ve reached the end point and it is the moment for someone else with fresh energy and resolve to drive your organisation to a new destination.
“Of course it will happen to me and probably in not too many years from now…”
In the end, it was only one. The book was published on 25 November 2021. On 26 November 2022, Jones’ side were booed off by the fans still remaining in a fast-emptying Twickenham.
Ten days later, the RFU, rather than Jones, decided he had run out road.
Defeat by South Africa was England’s sixth Test loss of the year. Statistically it is their worst since a chaotic 2008, when three different men took the reins.
The underlying trends in terms of tries scored, metres made, line breaks and defenders beaten are all down.
But you don’t need stats to see the void where a functioning game-plan and belief should be.
Jones’ case to continue to the end of this contract and the conclusion of England’s World Cup campaign would have been simple.
Every time he has gone to a World Cup, his sides have punched above their weight. – BBC Sport.
Online Reporter