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England coach Eddie Jones vowed to never use public transport again after allegedly being subjected to physical and verbal abuse on a train journey following his side’s Six Nations defeat to Scotland.
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Jones is reported to have travelled standard class from Edinburgh to Manchester on Sunday, watching Manchester United take on Chelsea at Old Trafford before later continuing his journey to London.
It is claimed Jones faced both physical and verbal abuse from others on the train and the Australian says he will review his future transport arrangements.
“I try and do the right thing by the fans but if that happens then you’ve got to have a look at your own safety,” said Jones. “I never knock back a request for a selfie unless I’m racing to somewhere. I did a lot.
VIDEO EXCLUSIVE: England coach Eddie Jones being verbally abused as he arrived in Manchester on Sunday after rail journey from Edinburgh. Disgusting after he was good enough to pose for photos. Now says doesn’t feel safe on public transport. (Warning: contains offensive language) pic.twitter.com/z2RetgKZOG
— Dan Roan (@danroan) March 1, 2018
“For me to travel on public transport, I thought was OK. I’m a human being. I don’t consider myself any different from anyone else. But I’ll make sure I won’t in future. It’s as simple as that. I can’t, because it was shown on Sunday what happens when I do.
“That’s the world we live in. It wasn’t comfortable. It was a bit of both [physical and verbal]. After a loss, no I wouldn’t [catch a train again]. It’s part of the challenge.
“When I came to England, I knew there were going to be challenges. As an Australian coaching England, there were always going to be challenges and that’s just one of them.”
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Asked whether he was surprised by the incident, Jones added: “Massively, but that’s the world we live in.
“I don’t want to get into it, guys. I don’t want to make a big deal about it. It’s over and done with. We march on – we’ve got a game against France.”
England face France in Paris on March 10.
