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Eddie Jones' England future beyond 2021 remains up in the air
By Online Editors
Eddie Jones’ future as England head coach beyond 2021 remains uncertain after Rugby Football Union chief executive Bill Sweeney placed the prospect of an extended contract in doubt.
Sweeney stated after England had finished World Cup runners-up that it would make sense to retain Jones until France 2023, adding that talks would be held “as a matter of urgency” upon their return from Japan.
A two-day tournament debrief was “overwhelmingly positive” in tone, but Sweeney is now in less haste to extend Jones’ current deal, which has two years left to run.
“Eddie and I have sat down and talked on a number of occasions,” Sweeney said. “We continue to discuss it but at the moment he is fully committed to seeing out the contract until 2021 and we will take it from there. We’re chatting about it.
“We’ll do whatever we think… reading the media over the last six weeks, the camps are pretty split. Some are saying don’t rush into anything, just stay with 2021. Other people are saying you should really do a four-year until France 2023.
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“We’ll do whatever we think is right for England rugby and it’s got to work for both sides. Eddie is committed to seeing out his contract so there’s no looming deadline when we will feel we need to make a pressing decision.”
The post-World Cup debrief took place on November 14 and 15, was chaired by Hugh Robertson, the former minister for sport, and included feedback from 27 of the 32 players used in Japan.
“We had one member of the previous review committee following 2015. We had a recently retired England player, a well-respected coach, a board member and myself,” Sweeney said.
“It included Eddie, all the coaching staff, all the operations staff. We had a working dinner. As you’d expect having reached the final, it was overwhelmingly positive. There was nothing that came out of it that was a fundamental miss or anything that needs to be changed.”
- Press Association
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Hi Nick. Thanks for your +++ ongoing analysis. Re Vunivalu, He’s been benched recently and it will be interesting to see what Kiss does with him as we enter the backend of SRP. I’m still not sold.
Go to commentsIn the fine tradition of Irish rugby, Leinster cheat well and for some reason only known to whoever referees them, they are allowed to get away with it every single game. If teams have not got the physicality up front to stop them getting the ball, they will win every single game. They take out players beyond the ruck and often hold them on the ground. Those that are beyond the ruck and therefore offside, hover there to cause distraction but also to join the next ruck from the side thereby stopping the jackal. The lineout prior to the second try on Saturday. 3 Leinster players left the lineout before the ball was thrown and were driving the maul as soon as the player hit the ground and thereby getting that valuable momentum. They scrummage illegally, with the looshead turning in to stop the opposing tighthead from pushing straight and making it uncomfortable for the hooker. The tighthead takes a step and tries to get his opposite loosehead to drop the bind. Flankers often ‘move up’ and actually bind on the prop and not remain bound to the second row. It does cause chaos and is done quickly and efficiently so that referees are blinded by the illegal tactics. I am surprised opposition coaches when they meet referees before games don’t mention it. I am also surprised that they do not go to the referees group and ask them to look at the tactics used and referee them properly. If they are the better team and win, fair play but a lot of their momentum is gained illegally and therefore it is not a level playing field.
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