Eddie Jones: ‘I wouldn’t have done anything differently’
Former England coach Eddie Jones insists he does not have any regrets from his time at the helm of the Red Rose.
Jones’ seven-year reign ended a fortnight ago after the Rugby Football Union was dissatisfied with England’s worst year of results since 2008.
Steve Borthwick has since been named England head coach after previously serving as Jones’ assistant with the Red Rose before leading Leicester Tigers to Premiership glory last season.
Focus beyond the World Cup
The RFU wants England to be competitive in the Six Nations and not just the World Cup, as was always Jones’ focus.
“You’ve got to be competitive in the Six Nations, not just every four years at a World Cup,” RFU chief Bill Sweeney.
The Red Rose lost three of five matches in the 2022 Six Nations, but Jones still believes the World Cup is most important.
“There are two views. Of course, the next game is important, no one is ever saying it’s not. But also, the World Cup is the ultimate trophy,” said Jones.
“If you look at the football, for instance, the only team people are going to remember over the last four years is Argentina now.”
The Australian-born coach insists he would have changed anything in his tenure and still believes the team was shaping up nicely for next year’s World Cup despite poor results.
“I wouldn’t have done anything differently,” Jones told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
“I was quite confident that we were on the right track leading up to the World Cup, and I’m still of that belief. But if others don’t share that, that’s their decision.
“There are always judgements that you reflect back on with the value of hindsight. I thought I was coaching well.
“The thing that pleases me is the number of players who have come out and endorsed that. For players to say that now when they gain nothing from doing that probably reflects that I was coaching pretty well.
“But sometimes the results don’t go your way, and you pay for that. I know that as well as anyone, so I don’t have any regrets over what I did.
“And it makes me feel a bit sad talking about it because they were a great bunch of boys. They play hard, and they train hard and have a lot of pride in playing well for England. I’m sure they’re going to do well under Steve.”
“Change in the wind”
Jones admits he could feel changes in the RFU’s perception of him but, unfortunately, could not get the results required in November.
“I could feel the change in the wind. When you’ve been coaching for a while, you feel when your support is starting to wane, and I knew we had to have good results in the autumn,” Jones said.
“I just continued coaching as well as I could. We had a plan to be peaking at the World Cup, and unfortunately, we didn’t get the opportunity to finish that. I felt it was coming.
“The reality is that the review is not really a review of your performance; it’s more of an endorsement of the board’s thought. And they’re quite entitled to make those thoughts, that their job.
“They’re guided by certain ideas and principles, and they have certain people who influence them.
“We never complain when they appoint us, and so we can’t complain when they decide to unappoint us.
“I understand the decision. I don’t have an issue with it. I had a good go, but they’ve made their decision that they don’t think I can do the job to the level that they want, and I can’t argue with that. I’m in no position to argue with it.
“I’ll move on to do what I’m going to do next, and I wish English rugby all the best.”
The former England head coach admits he has been approached by “various organisations” but did not reveal more about his next move.
“I’ve had chats with people in various organisations about the possibility of joining their team in a capacity over the next 24 months,” Jones said.
“I’ve had chats with other federations. I’m not privy to break confidentiality about that.”
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