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RFU issue statement on Jones' latest overseas coaching activities
By Liam Heagney
England boss Eddie Jones is off on his overseas travels again, the RFU confirming that he is currently working in Italy and will also be in Georgia later this month, but his activities won’t solely take place overseas as he is expected to continuing visiting Gallagher Premiership clubs having also visited Manchester United, the football club, to observe their pre-season training.
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It was early June when Jones last addressed his coaching activities outside the remit of his England head coach position. The Australian fronted media to defend his extracurricular coaching following the avalanche of criticism that accompanied the revelation that he was coaching at Beauden Barrett’s Suntory Sungoliath in Japan less than a week after the RFU published its review on recent England’s fifth-place Six Nations campaign.
“I’m a coach, I have got to practise coaching. If you are a golfer you play golf, if you’re a coach you coach and I only get twelve weeks a year to coach with England so I have got to use my time in between to practise coaching and find better ways to coach,” explained Jones at the time, going on to reveal he was just back from a trip to Leicester.
“I spent the day up there with him [Steve Borthwick]. Managed to do a little bit of coaching. I know I am not supposed to coach another team so I apologise now, I apologise for coaching another team but I was able to do a little bit of practice there and it was good. It’s great to see those young players come through.”
Two months on from that revelation, the RFU have now issued a statement outlining what Jones is up to this August. “England head coach Eddie Jones will travel to visit a number of rugby teams this month,” began the statement.
Rob Baxter reckoned last Thursday it would be "pretty difficult" for Jones to practise coaching at a Premiership club but that is what the England boss has done this week https://t.co/OoGPEjNpkq
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) June 10, 2021
“He will first head to Treviso, Italy, where he will spend three days with Benetton (August 4-6) before visiting Georgia Rugby in Tbilisi to work alongside their coaches (August 18-20). Jones will continue to visit Premiership clubs, including monthly coaching visits to Leicester Tigers. He was recently invited to watch Manchester United’s pre-season training when the Premier League side were based at Pennyhill Park.”
Jones added: “These visits to other clubs, countries and sports are a great chance for coaches to increase knowledge and share knowledge. It’s important we give back to the game, such as my work in supporting emerging nations like Georgia. Over the next two months, the focus will move to Premiership clubs, meeting with the directors of rugby and players and seeing how pre-season training is going.”
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The past month has certainly had its ups and downs for the new Springboks head coach #CastleLionsSeries #LionsTour2021 #LionsRugbyhttps://t.co/X8YZ0JH0CN
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) August 4, 2021
