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Eddie Jones has joined the debate swirling around England fans singing Swing Low, Sweet Chariot
By AAP
England coach Eddie Jones says he will not try to stop fans at Twickenham Stadium singing Swing Low, Sweet Chariot but maintains they need to be educated on its links with American slavery to make an informed decision.
The Swing Low anthem, believed to have been written by a slave in the mid-19th century, became a mainstay with England supporters in the 1980s and the RFU said last month it was reviewing its use amid global Black Lives Matter protests.
"It's an awareness and education piece," Jones told Sky Sports. "I remember coming in the 2000s and hearing the song when our scrum was under the pump. It didn't resonate to me that it was involved in things that possibly aren't too flash.
"It was a rugby song but, given that people now have that awareness... it's probably a choice they have got to make. If they are educated enough and aware enough, they will make the right decision, but that's not for me to tell them."
The coronavirus pandemic has cast doubt over the future of Super Rugby, with New Zealand pushing for an eight-to-ten team competition which would exclude South Africa and Argentina but include teams from Australia and one from the Pacific.
South Africa are looking to fill the 2021 vacuum with their own competition which would include Argentina's Jaguares and possibly the Cheetahs and Southern Kings. Jones believes strong domestic competitions are needed to raise the standards of the game.
"The main thing is, and it is shown, is that people want a strong domestic competition and it has probably fallen away a little bit," said England boss Jones.
"New Zealand's Super Rugby has shown that people want to see the best against the best... the task for each country is to make sure their domestic league is the highest level of competition and, if you do that, fans will come and watch."
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Latest Comments
There is this thing going around against Siya Kolisi where they don't want him to be known as the best national captain ever, so they strike him down in ratings permanently whenever they can. They want McCaw and reckons he is the best captain ever. I disagree.
Just like they refuse to see SA as the best team and some have even said that should the Boks win a third WC in a row, they will still not be the best team ever. Even if they win every game between now and the WC. That is some serious hate coming SA's way.
Everyone forget how the McCaw AB's intimidated refs, was always on the wrong side, played on the ground etc. Things they would never have gotten away with today. They may have a better win ratio, but SA build depth, not caring about rank inbetween WC's until this year.
They weren't as bad inbetween as people claim, because non e of their losses was big ones and they almost never faced the strongest Bok team outside of the WC, allowing countries like France and Ireland to rise to the top unopposed.
Rassie is still at it, building more depth, getting more young stars into the fold. By the time he leaves (I hope never) he will leave a very strong Bok side for the next 15- 20 years. Not everyone will play for 20 years, but each year Rassie acknowledge the young stars and get them involved and ready for international rugby.
Not everyone will make it to the WC, but those 51/52 players will compete for those spots for the WC. They will deliver their best. The future of the Boks is in very safe hands. The only thing that bothers me is Rassie's health. If he can overcome it, rugby looks dark for the rest of the rugby world. He is already the greatest coach in WR history. By the time he retires, he will be the biggest legend any sport has ever seen
Go to commentsWas it? I just brought it up in some of my posts to rub it in that the AB last year nearly put 100 on a top 6N side lol
I agree to be honest. The biggest key to me that they might be jadded was none of them had mom performances, or even as good as their last three games.
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