Eddie Jones to learn England fate next week
Eddie Jones will learn if he is to continue as England head coach next week with the Rugby Football Union’s review into a dismal autumn set to conclude on Tuesday.
Jones is fighting for his future after presiding over England’s worst year since 2008, consisting of six defeats, a draw and five wins and ending with Saturday’s chastening loss to South Africa.
The inquest had been scheduled to take two weeks, but the PA news agency understands that Jones’ final meeting with the review panel will be held on Monday with the RFU’s board convening the following day to ratify its decision.
A public announcement will be made in midweek, revealing whether the Australian is to continue until the World Cup when his eight-year reign is contracted to end or if the RFU is to appoint an alternative.
Jones’ position has never been more precarious, with former Wales and Lions boss Warren Gatland seen as the frontrunner to replace him if the RFU does decide to act.
Gatland is in demand, however, as Wales weigh up the future of their own head coach Wayne Pivac.
Jones’ case to continue in a post he has held since the end of 2015 was not helped when his independent media advisor David Pembroke described RFU chief executive Bill Sweeney as “slippery” amid an accusation that he had leaked stories to the media about the departure of backroom staff.
Pembroke added that Sweeney is a “goner” and has since apologised for the remarks made on Wednesday in the comments section of a newspaper website.
Sweeney has been leading the review process and it is understood that he retains the full support of the board, who make the final decision on whether or not to sack Jones.
The review panel has regularly presented to the board during its investigation into what went wrong during an autumn that opened with defeat to Argentina, produced a solitary victory over Japan and a draw with New Zealand before signing off with an abject collapse against the Springboks.
With the World Cup in France nine months away, England have left it perilously late to change their coach but the RFU may feel it has no alternative but to act given the team’s alarming slide under Jones.
Boos rang out at Twickenham following the rout by South Africa and even Jones supporters such as former England wing Ugo Monye believe his time in the job has run its course.
Leicester’s Steve Borthwick and Scott Robertson of the Crusaders are seen as credible replacements, but parachuting either of them into the crisis that has engulfed England would be risky.
Ronan O’Gara, the La Rochelle head coach, was an option but the former Ireland fly-half ruled himself out of contention on Friday having revealed that early-stage talks were held with the RFU.
Veteran coach Gatland would be seen as a strong short-term candidate to lead the team through until the World Cup and there are few alternatives who command his authority.
Retaining Jones could be viewed as an even greater gamble as, were England to lose their Six Nations opener against Scotland on February 4, his position would become almost untenable.
Comments on RugbyPass
We’re building a bridge but can't agree where the river is.
2 Go to commentsfirst no arms shoulder or helmet tackle into his rib cage is going to be so very painful even to watch. go back to RU mate.
2 Go to commentsBulls by 5. Plus another 50.
3 Go to commentsJohan Goosen avatar. Cute. Surely someone at RP knows how to do a google image search?
3 Go to commentsCan’t these games play a little earlier? Asking for a friend.
3 Go to commentsIt’s impressive that we can see huge stadiums with attendance in the 40 000 to 50 000 region. It shows how popular this competition is becoming. What is even more impressive is the massive growth in broadcast viewership. The URC is one of the two best leagues in the World, the other being the Top14.
7 Go to commentsChristie is not Sottish, like the majority of the Scotland team.
2 Go to commentsHold the phone, decline over-rated. Is it a one game, dead cat bounce or the real thing? Has the Penney dropped? Stay tuned.
45 Go to commentsTotally deserved win for the Crusaders Far smarter than the Chiefs who seem to be avoiding the basics when it matters Hotham showed them what was missing and Hannah seems a real find - a tad light but that can be fixed over time
8 Go to commentsGreat insight into the performance culture with Sarries and I predict Christie will be a fixture in the Scotland team now for some time to come. However, he is slightly missing his own point around Scotland “being soft” when he cites physicality examples in defence of that slight. The issue is much closer to the example he referenced around feeling off before a game but being told “it doesn’t matter, you can still play well” by Farrell. Until Scotland can get their psyche in that square, they will carry on folding under extreme pressure…
2 Go to comments> We are having to adapt, evolve and innovate more than when we were in Super Rugby where there was only really one style that everybody had to play to gain the most success. Have = able to? Interesting what that one style might be? I thought SA sides still had bad tours now, or at least bad schedule, months away? Those extra few hours flights have to be a killer though, no surprise to see their sides doing so badly at the start of the season each year. I wouldn’t enjoy that unfairness as a supporter.
7 Go to commentsThe problem for NZ, and Aus, is they ripped up the SR model and lost a massive chunk of revenue that hasn’t been replaced. Don’t forget SA clubs went North because they were left with no choice, Argy unceremoniously binned and Japan cast adrift. Now SR wasn’t perfect, far from it, but they’ve jumped into something without an effective plan, so far, to replace what they’ve lost. The biggest revenue potential now lies in Japan but it won’t be easy or quick to unlock, they are incredibly insular in culture as a nation. In the meantime, there is a serious time bomb sitting under SH rugby and if it happens then the current financial challenges will look like a picnic. IF the Boks follow their provincial teams and head north then it’s revenue meltdown. Not guaranteed to happen but the status quo is a very odd hybrid, with the Boks pointing one way and the clubs pointing the other way. And for as long as that remains then the threat is real.
45 Go to commentsI think Etene has had some good tuition, likely while at the Warriors to be a professional that helped his rugby jump, but he was certainly thrown in the deep end way too early. Should have arguably 20 less SR caps, and therefor a way better record that he does at his age, but his development would have been fast tracked by the need to satiate his signing away from league. Again, credit to him and others that he has done it so well. Easy to fall over under that pressure in the big leagues like that but he kept at it when I myself wasn’t sure he was good enough.
1 Go to commentsAwesome story. I wonder what a bigger American (SA) scene might have mean for Brex.
1 Go to comments“Johnny McNicholl and the Crusaders” save a Penney. Who has been in camp this week and showed them how to play?
8 Go to commentsSo, reports of the Crusaders’ demise / terminal decline are perhaps just - slightly - premature/exaggerated…? 🤔 Will we see a deep-dive into that by the estimable Rugbypass scribes, and maybe one or two mea culpas? Thought not.
8 Go to comments1. The Chiefs are rudderless without DMac, which enhances his AB chances 2. Chiefs pack are powderpuffs. The hard men arent there anymore 3. They had their golden title chance last yr and wont threaten this yr. Gone in second round of playoffs.
8 Go to commentsHonestly, why did you have to publish such a foolish article the day they play us? 😂
45 Go to comments> They are not standalone entities. They are linked to an amateur association which holds the FFR licence that allows the professional side to compete in the league. That’s a great rule. This looks like the chicken or egg professional scenario. How long is it going to be before the club can break even (if that is even a thing in French rugby)? If the locals aren’t into well it would be good to se them drop to amateur level (is it that far?). Hope they can reset from this level and be more practical, there will be a time when they can rebuild (if France has there setup right).
1 Go to commentsWhat about changing the ball? To something heavier and more pointed that bounces unpredictably. Not this almost round football used these days.
35 Go to comments