'Billows of smoke, then all of a sudden it lit up in a huge fire'
Eddie Jones has spoken about the Tuesday night fire drama that resulted in his England Six Nations squad evacuating from their seafront hotel in Brighton and holding a team meeting in a nearby pub before checking into a different hotel to spend the night. Ahead of the championship opener away to Scotland on February 5, Jones opted to begin preparations with a week-long gathering on the English south coast for his squad before the location switches next week to the national team training centre at Pennyhill Park.
England had spent their Tuesday morning on Brighton beach doing team-building exercises and their Six Nations squad were due to have a team communications meeting that evening when a fire broke out through a manhole on the street outside the Harbour Hotel on the King’s Road.
The emergency caused the hotel to be evacuated, leaving the players to hold their planned meeting in a nearby pub before alternative accommodation was sourced for the night.
“The players were getting ready for a team communications session which was all about them talking about their goals and purpose and just getting to know each other a little bit better,” explained England boss Jones on Wednesday about the drama that unfolded the previous evening for his Six Nations squad.
“There were billows of smoke coming out of a manhole and then all of a sudden it lit up in a huge fire, like a bomb fire came out of the manhole so we had to evacuate the hotel. At one stage we were going to go to Cotswold and buy some sleeping bags but we have got a fantastic logistics manager in Charlotte Gibbons who arranged accommodation at Hilton.
Eddie Jones' update regarding Jonny May wasn't encouraging either for England#England #SixNations #SCOvENG
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“The players and the staff ate separately because of the short circumstance and we got through the night and we are here today, mate. We are hopefully back in the hotel by midday and the boys will start doing a gym session this morning at Brighton College.
“They [the players] weren’t close at all. It [the fire] was outside the hotel so there was no risk to any of the players,” continued Jones, adding how the players improvised by relocating their scheduled meeting elsewhere. “They ended up having it a pub and Maro (Itoje) took responsibility for it.”
Jones enthused how he liked what sudden disruption does for his England squad in terms of improving its adaptability. “Everyone had to adapt, we have had to change our programme today, the players had to sleep in maybe uncomfortable beds last night and they have got to get on with it today.
“We enjoy those sorts of things. Every time we do it we get a little bit better at it. We had a similar situation in 20019 with the typhoon at the World Cup where we had to move hotels quickly so the guys have been in that situation before helped lead the way.”
Comments on RugbyPass
The value he brought to the crusaders as an assistant was equal to what he got out of being there. He reflected not only on the team culture but also the credit he attributed to the rugby community. Such experience shouldn’t be overlooked.
3 Go to commentsGood luck Aussie
10 Go to commentssmith at 9 / mounga 10 / laumape 12 / fainganuku 14
54 Go to commentsBar the injuries, it’s pretty much their top team …
2 Go to commentsDon’t disagree with much of this but it appears you forgot Rodda and Beale, who started at the Force on the weekend.
10 Go to commentsExcept for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to commentsTo me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
54 Go to commentsROG has better chance to win a WC if he starts training and make himself eligible as a player. He won’t make the Ireland squad but I reckon he may get close with Namibia (needs to improve his Afrikaans) or Portugal. Both sides had 1000:1 odds to win the RWC in 2023 which is an improvement on ROG’s odds of winning a RWC as a coach. Unlike Top 14 teams, national teams can’t go shopping and buy the best players - you work with the available talent pool and turn them into world beaters.
3 Go to commentsthat backline nope that backline is terrible why would you have sevu Reece when he’s not even top 5 wingers in the comp why have Blackadder when there’s better players no Scott barret isn’t an automatic the guy is more of a liability than anything why have him there when you have samipeni who’s far far better
54 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
51 Go to commentsNot too bad. Questions at 6, lock and HB for me. The ABs will be a lot stronger once Jordan and Roigard return. Also, work needs to be made to secure Frizzell back for next season and maybe also Mo’unga; they’re just wasting time playing in japan
54 Go to commentsOn the title, i wonder for many of those people it is a case something like a belief in working smarter, not harder?
1 Go to commentsForget Sotutu. One of those whose top level is Super Rugby. Id take a punt on Wallace Sititi Finau ahead of Glass body Blackadder.
54 Go to commentsI’m a pensioner so I've been around a bit. My opinion of SBW is he is an elite athlete and a great New Zealander and roll model. He has been to the top and knows what he's talking about. To all the negative comments regarding SBW the typical New Zealand way, cut that tall poppy down.
17 Go to commentsI'm not listening to a guy moralise over others when this is the guy who walked out mid season on Canterbury RLFC when he had a contract with them, what a hypocrite. All the Kiwis sticking up for this unprincipled individual because they can't accept justified criticism, he has zero credibility or integrity. Those praising him are a joke.
17 Go to commentsI’d put Finau at 6 instead of Blackadder but that’s the only change I’d make. Can’t wait to see who Razor picks.
54 Go to commentsTamati Williams, Codie Taylor, and Same Cane? Not sure about Hoskins Sotutu at test level. Wasn’t that impressive last season. Need a balance between experience and talent/youth.
54 Go to commentsInteresting insight. Fantastic athlete, and a genuine human being.
17 Go to commentsThey played at night in Suva last weekend and it’s an afternoon game forecast for 19 degrees in Canberra this weekend. Heat change is a non issue.
2 Go to commentsWishing Rosie a speedy recovery
1 Go to comments