'Bizarre from the RFU, bizarre from Bill Sweeney...'
Former England international Andy Goode had taken a pop at Bill Sweeney, accusing the RFU CEO of being asleep at the wheel in allowing Eddie Jones to join a rival nation eight months out from the start of the 2023 Rugby World Cup. It was December 6 when the English decided to divorce the head coach that was contracted with them through to the end of the finals.
However, instead of ensuring in the small print of whatever payoff was agreed with Jones that he wouldn’t be able to coach against England in the short term, Monday’s appointment by the Wallabies of Jones as their new boss just 41 days later has generated the intriguing possibility of the Australian clashing with his old team in an October World Cup quarter-final.
Goode was aghast that the RFU didn’t think about putting Jones on gardening leave so that he wasn’t able to take up the offer to coach the Wallabies at the expense of Dave Rennie. Speaking on this week’s episode of The Rugby Pod, the show he co-hosts with Jim Hamilton, ex-England No10 Goode said: “I’m with you on the whole Dave Rennie thing, it’s incredibly sad for someone to lose their job in that way.
“Especially as they just had a training camp. So he has just put all the graft in, done the training camp with all the players and there were some good noises coming out of the training camp, Drew Mitchell was in with some of the Stan Sport boys doing a bit of behind-the-scenes footage.
“It seemed great. Next thing you know, whamo, Eddie Jones is in. So first and foremost, sorry for Dave Rennie. You hope that he got one hell of a payout because when your job is taken away from you like that and that quickly, you have got to get a payout right, bottom line.
Borthwick’s first England squad and Eddie’s shock return with Quins flyer Cadan Murley 🃏
Listen now on Spotify 🎧 https://t.co/LRMZl4npcw pic.twitter.com/mEGBx2oeRf
— The Rugby Pod (@TheRugbyPod) January 17, 2023
“This brings me to the Eddie Jones thing. Have no doubt he will have a big short-term impact there. I actually had an Australian mate text me when the news broke and he said, ‘Oh f***, just as it looked like our backline might start entertaining people, here comes Eddie’. That’s an Australian who loves his rugby saying Eddie is going to take the fun out of watching Australian backs. They have got a great backline, don’t they?
“He will have an impact, don’t get me wrong. The big thing for me is Bill Sweeney, are you asleep again or what? I’d love to know the details. Eddie Jones was contracted until the end of the World Cup. Now in business, in sport, in absolutely anything, if you hold that contract over someone to a period of time you can put them on gardening leave.
“But what they have done is they have got rid of Eddie Jones and they have allowed him to go and get another job with another union that may knock England out of the World Cup… If you have paid Eddie Jones out, how have you not put him on gardening leave or how have you not restricted him from working for anyone else at the World Cup?
“I put it on social media and people were, ‘You all said he was a rubbish coach, he had got to go’. Well, the difference is I understand that but what you don’t want is to pay him out and then say, ‘Yeah, we will pay you out but also off you go and you can go and coach someone else’. So bizarre from the RFU, bizarre from Bill Sweeney to not have had that written into the contract.
“The only reason to let Eddie Jones go and do that is if they have saved a load of money by allowing him to go and work somewhere else. If Eddie Jones was smart he could have taken all his money or pretty much most of his money that he was due and then not have a restriction of trade and then go and do the Australian job.
“So it looks like there is a little more egg on the face of Bill Sweeney because he is asleep or maybe I am happy to be corrected Bill, if you want to come out and tell me the truth come on here and tell me.”
Comments on RugbyPass
The shoulder is a “joint” with multiple bones. You don’t “fracture” a shoulder, you fracture any one or more of the bones that make up a shoulder.
2 Go to commentsOh dear, bones too suspect to continue?
2 Go to commentsBold headline considering the Canes and Blues are 1 and 2 and the Brumbies were soundly beaten by the Chiefs and Blues. Biggest surprise is Rebels 4 Crusaders 12 - no one saw that coming. If Aus are improving that’s great 👍
1 Go to commentsAnna, You are right, we need to have patience whilst the others catch up to England and France. Also it is the PWR that has been the game changer for England. the RFU put money into that initially at the expense of the Red Roses. I was sceptical at first but it has paid off in spades.
1 Go to commentsI think Matt Proctor became a 1 test AB in the same fixture. Cameron is quality and has been great this season, can’t believe’s he only 27. Realistically how would he not be selected for ABs squad this year. Only Dmac is ahead of him as a specialist 10. With Jordan out, it will come down to where and when Beauden Barrett slots back in, and where they want to play Ruben Love. Cameron seems an absolute lock in for the wider squad though. Added benefit of TJ-Cameron-Jordie combination at 9, 10, 11 too.
1 Go to commentsFarcical, to what end would someone want to pay to keep this thing going.
1 Go to commentsHavili, our best 12 by a mile, will be in the squad, if he stays fit. JB is the most overrated AB in the last 50 years.
61 Go to commentsWe had during the week twilight footy, twilight cricket, tw golf plus there was the athletics club. Then the weekend was rugby 15s plus the net ball, really busy club scene back then but so much has changed and rugby has suffered. And it was all about changing lifestyles.
6 Go to commentsIn the 70s and 80s my club ran 5 Senior sides plus a Vets. Now it is 2 sides with an occasional 3rd team. Players have difficulty getting to training now, not sure why and the commitment is not there. It seems to me more a problem of people applying themselves and not expecting to turn up and play whenever they want to.
6 Go to commentsROG’s contract is until 2027. The conversation about a successor to Galthie after RWC 2027 may be starting now. We can infer that Galthie’s reign stops then. He is throwing the Irish Coaching Job angle in because he is Irish. The next Irish coach MUST be Leo Cullen. As well as being the best coach available, coaching the vast majority of Irish Internationals week in week out, he has shown incredible skill at recruiting the best coaching staff for the job in hand. That was a failing in France. Cullen is a shrewd guy and if there is a need for foreign coaches underneath him he won’t hesitate. Rightly so. Ireland does need to start to bring Irish coaches through. Not just at the professional level but we need to train coaches to man new pathways for developing kids from schools/clubs up through the divisions.
8 Go to commentsNo Islam says it must rule where it stands Thus it is to be deleted from this planet Earth
18 Go to commentsThis team probably does not beat the ABs sadly Not sure if BPA will be available given his signing for Force but has to enter consideration. Very strong possibility of getting schooled by the AB props. Advantage AB. Rodda/Skelton would be a tasty locking combination - would love to see how they get on. Advantage Wallabies. Backrow a risk of getting out hustled and outmuscled by ABs. Will be interesting to see if the Blues feast on the Reds this weekend the way they did the Brumbies we are in big trouble at the breakdown. Great energy, running and defence but goalkicking/general kicking/passing quality in the halves bothers me enormously. SA may have won the World Cup for a lot of the tournament without a recognised goalkicker but Pollard in the final made a difference IMO. Injuries and retirements leave AB stocks a bit lighter but still stronger. 12 and 13 ABs shade it (Barret > Paisami, Ione = Ikitau, arguably) Interesting clash of styles on the wings - Corey Toole running around Caleb Clark and Caleb running over the top of Toole. Reece vs Koro probably the reverse. Pretty even IMO. 15s Kelleway = Love See advantage to ABs man for man, but we are not obviously getting slaughtered anywhere which makes a nice change. Think talent wise we are pretty even and if our cohesion and teamwork is better than the ABs then its just about doable.
11 Go to commentsCompletely agree. More friday night games would be a hit. RFU to make sure every club has a floodlit pitch. Club opens again Saturday to welcome touch / tag. Minis and youths on Sunday
6 Go to comments1.97m and 105Kg? Proportionately, probably skinnier than me at 1.82 and 82kilos. He won’t survive against the big guys at that weight.
56 Go to commentsThe 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.
8 Go to commentsGood luck Aussie
11 Go to commentssmith at 9 / mounga 10 / laumape 12 / fainganuku 14
61 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.
11 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 comments