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Clive Woodward thunders into Eddie Jones debate ignited by Danny Care

Eddie Jones addresses his England players in 2022 in Jersey (Photo by Alex Davidson/The RFU Collection via Getty Images)

Former England coach Clive Woodward has unloaded on the RFU following Danny Care’s weekend revelations about the way Eddie Jones allegedly ran the team during his time in charge. The Australian was appointed successor to Stuart Lancaster following the 2015 Rugby World Cup pool stage elimination.

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He enjoyed Six Nations title success during his initial two years in charge but the rumbustious way he ran his operation through to the winter of 2022 apparently left much to be desired, according to Care who was dropped in 2018 and had to wait four years for a recall.

The veteran Harlequins scrum-half retired from Test rugby following England’s third-place finish in the 2024 Guinness Six Nations and an extract from his new book, Everything Happens for a Reason: My Life in Rugby, was published last Saturday by The Times in London.

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Former Springbok coach Nick Mallett on turning down the England coaching job, before Eddie Jones got it. Watch the full episode on RugbyPass TV

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Nick Mallett explains why he once turned down an offer to coach England | RPTV

Former Springbok coach Nick Mallett on turning down the England coaching job, before Eddie Jones got it. Watch the full episode on RugbyPass TV

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The Ebury Spotlight publication, which officially launches on November 7, detailed how the current Japan boss, who is due to bring his team to London on November 24 to face Steve Borthwick’s England, ruled with an iron fist, leaving English players “desperate not to get dropped for all the wrong reasons, which made for a toxic environment”.

Care went on to reveal in the extract a myriad of examples of Jones’ behaviour and Woodward has now joined the debate in his latest Daily Mail column.

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“It seems quite clear to me that the Jones era got out of hand, with players unable to say how they felt at the time and no senior figures at the RFU holding the head coach to account,” he claimed, believing he should have been fired after the 2019 Rugby World Cup final loss to South Africa in Yokohama.

“This reflects very, very poorly on those involved. Did the RFU know it was happening? Only they can answer that. But, knowing what we do now, it is astonishing English rugby’s bosses held a review into Jones’s coaching and decided to hand him a new contract.

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“The RFU, in the interests of transparency, really should name the people who were involved in that review and came to that conclusion. If one thing can be learned from Care’s honest revelations of the Jones era, it is that regular checks and balances must be made on the international set-up.

“To do so is only healthy. It holds the leaders of the organisation to account and ensures the highest possible standards are maintained. I would also urge the players of today to find a voice, however difficult it can be.”

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3 Comments
B
Bull Shark 15 days ago

They should line Clive up for a second coming with England.


It would be hilarious.


But seriously though. I wonder who the RFU are looking at to replace Borthwick in December.


There are slim pickings I guess. I reckon it will have to be an Englishman?

F
Flankly 15 days ago

SCW really dislikes Eddie, doesn't he?


His words in 2019 before the RWC final that he now says should have resulted in Eddie's firing:


"Was Saturday’s sensational World Cup semi-final win over New Zealand England’s greatest ever performance? Yes, unquestionably, would be my answer."


So let's fire the coach one game later? Duh!

M
Mr Easy 15 days ago

Woodward sticking his oar in 20 years after he was relevant isn't terribly shocking. What Care has to say is worth noting however.

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JW 3 hours ago
'Passionate reunion of France and New Zealand shows Fabien Galthie is wrong to rest his stars'

Ok, managed to read the full article..

... New Zealand’s has only 14 and the professional season is all over within four months. In France, club governance is the responsibility of an independent organisation [the Ligue Nationale de Rugby or LNR] which is entirely separate from the host union [the Fédération Française de Rugby or FFR]. Down south New Zealand Rugby runs the provincial and the national game.

That is the National Provincial Championship, a competition of 14 representative union based teams run through the SH international window and only semi professional (paid only during it's running). It is run by NZR and goes for two and a half months.


Super Rugby is a competition involving 12 fully professional teams, of which 5 are of New Zealand eligibility, and another joint administered team of Pacific Island eligibility, with NZR involvement. It was a 18 week competition this year, so involved (randomly chosen I believe) extra return fixtures (2 or 3 home and away derbys), and is run by Super Rugby Pacific's own independent Board (or organisation). The teams may or may not be independently run and owned (note, this does not necessarily mean what you think of as 'privately owned').


LNR was setup by FFR and the French Government to administer the professional game in France. In New Zealand, the Players Association and Super Rugby franchises agreed last month to not setup their own governance structure for professional rugby and re-aligned themselves with New Zealand Rugby. They had been proposing to do something like the English model, I'm not sure how closely that would have been aligned to the French system but it did not sound like it would have French union executive representation on it like the LNR does.

In the shaky isles the professional pyramid tapers to a point with the almighty All Blacks. In France the feeling for country is no more important than the sense of fierce local identity spawned at myriad clubs concentrated in the southwest. Progress is achieved by a nonchalant shrug and the wide sweep of nuanced negotiation, rather than driven from the top by a single intense focus.

Yes, it is pretty much a 'representative' selection system at every level, but these union's are having to fight for their existence against the regime that is NZR, and are currently going through their own battle, just as France has recently as I understand it. A single focus, ala the French game, might not be the best outcome for rugby as a whole.


For pure theatre, it is a wonderful article so far. I prefer 'Ntamack New Zealand 2022' though.

The young Crusader still struggles to solve the puzzle posed by the shorter, more compact tight-heads at this level but he had no problem at all with Colombe.

It was interesting to listen to Manny during an interview on Maul or Nothing, he citied that after a bit of banter with the All Black's he no longer wanted one of their jersey's after the game. One of those talks was an eye to eye chat with Tamaiti Williams, there appear to be nothing between the lock and prop, just a lot of give and take. I thought TW angled in and caused Taylor to pop a few times, and that NZ were lucky to be rewarded.

f you have a forward of 6ft 8ins and 145kg, and he is not at all disturbed by a dysfunctional set-piece, you are in business.

He talked about the clarity of the leadership that helped alleviate any need for anxiety at the predicaments unfolding before him. The same cannot be said for New Zealand when they had 5 minutes left to retrieve a match winning penalty, I don't believe. Did the team in black have much of a plan at any point in the game? I don't really call an autonomous 10 vehicle they had as innovative. I think Razor needs to go back to the dealer and get a new game driver on that one.

Vaa’i is no match for his power on the ground. Even in reverse, Meafou is like a tractor motoring backwards in low gear, trampling all in its path.

Vaa'i actually stops him in his tracks. He gets what could have been a dubious 'tackle' on him?

A high-level offence will often try to identify and exploit big forwards who can be slower to reload, and therefore vulnerable to two quick plays run at them consecutively.

Yes he was just standing on his haunches wasn't he? He mentioned that in the interview, saying that not only did you just get up and back into the line to find the opposition was already set and running at you they also hit harder than anything he'd experienced in the Top 14. He was referring to New Zealands ultra-physical, burst-based Super style of course, which he was more than a bit surprised about. I don't blame him for being caught out.


He still sent the obstruction back to the repair yard though!

What wouldn’t the New Zealand rugby public give to see the likes of Mauvaka and Meafou up front..

Common now Nick, don't go there! Meafou showed his Toulouse shirt and promptly got his citizenship, New Zealand can't have him, surely?!?


As I have said before with these subjects, really enjoy your enthusiasm for their contribution on the field and I'd love to see more of their shapes running out for Vern Cotter and the like styled teams.

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