Eddie's book will be box office but he shouldn't have been allowed to publish it - Andy Goode
Eddie Jones’ book is released today and, while there’s no doubt it’ll make for interesting reading, how it’s been allowed to be published is beyond me.
I’m sure players have it written into their EPS agreements that they aren’t allowed to write a book for a certain period of time after their last game for England and they even have to get permission to write a column, for example, but the current head coach is allowed to write a book with details from the 2019 World Cup campaign in it.
It’s very different for Warren Gatland, who has just come to the end of a 12-year spell in charge of Wales. Jones is still very much the head coach, has a contract for another two years and is possibly staying on until the next World Cup.
It’s a sign of the complete autonomy that he seems to have, which is perhaps a product of him taking over at a time when England were at their lowest ebb after exiting their home World Cup at the pool stage.
He’s just led them to the final in the next one so most people won’t complain too much about him writing a book but it does have the potential to destabilise the squad.
He admits in the book that he “made two selection mistakes for the final” and it might be difficult to disagree with that with the benefit of hindsight but it’s easy to be wise after the fact and what impact will voicing that opinion have?
“I should have chosen Joe Marler ahead of Mako Vunipola at loose-head prop and I should have reverted to the Owen Farrell–Manu Tuilagi–Henry Slade midfield we used against Australia. George Ford could have come off the bench when we had got into the game,” he adds.
Mako Vunipola and George Ford aren’t going to say anything publicly because they want to carry on playing for England but I’d feel pretty dejected if I was them and heard my current coach saying that about me.
It’s not a massive leap to interpret those words as Eddie Jones saying we’d have won the World Cup if he hadn’t started with Vunipola and Ford. That absolutely isn’t the case. I think we’d have lost that final with any team because of the way South Africa played on the day.
A lot of players came out and made comments in the wake of the 2011 and 2015 World Cups, which didn’t go too well for England, and the players are being censored to an extent as a result.
It doesn’t sit well with me that a player can’t say what he wants but a coach can write a book and say whatever he wants.
Jones has also voiced concerns that some Saracens players may want to play for their club rather than their country in the wake of the salary cap scandal and that it could cause friction in the England camp if they are there.
I can’t see it causing a rift in the squad. There’ll be banter flying around but I don’t think it’ll upset the applecart. You don’t have to like everyone you play alongside and I just can’t see any players from other clubs having any grievance with those from Saracens.
As for the conjecture that some Saracens players may choose to play for their club rather than join up with England, I don’t think that would be allowed and if it were to happen, I don’t think they should be able to play for England again.
I don’t think it’ll be the case because of what it means to play for your country, and of course the not insignificant financial incentive on top, but it obviously can’t be allowed to happen.
If a Saracens player did take that point of view and was allowed to, Leicester would be wanting Manu Tuilagi and co to play for them instead of England, Bath might feel they need Anthony Watson back and Joe Launchbury might be needed by Wasps, for example.
The last time Saracens would have been relegated with a 35-point deduction applied is over a decade ago in 2008/09 as well, so it shouldn’t even be necessary.
Eddie Jones obviously has strong links to Saracens too, having been head coach there around a decade ago, so there would be questions raised about his integrity as well.
There would be uproar across the Premiership, it would devalue the Six Nations and Saracens would also lose some of the financial compensation they get for having players away on international duty as well, which they can ill afford. I’d be shocked if it were to come to pass.
I applaud Eddie’s honesty and I also completely understand his desire to make some money by writing a book so I don’t blame him too much, even if some of the content might have the potential to rock the boat, but I just can’t believe he’s been allowed to publish it.
I think the RFU have made a mistake in signing off on it and there’s a lot of water to go under the bridge between now and the Six Nations but it’ll be fascinating to see if there is any impact from any of this on the pitch or in the corridors of Pennyhill Park.
Comments on RugbyPass
Don’t disagree with much of this but it appears you forgot Rodda and Beale, who started at the Force on the weekend.
9 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.
33 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.
2 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
33 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
49 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
33 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.
33 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. 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.
33 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.
33 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.
1 Go to commentsWishing Rosie a speedy recovery
1 Go to commentsObscene that SA haven’t been knocking
1 Go to commentsChances of Blackadder being injured seem too high to give him serious consideration. ABs loosie combination finally looked good with 2 committed to tackling and clearing rucks in the centre and Ardie roaming. Hoskins/Ardie together would force one of them into where they don’t excel and don’t get to use their talent, or require a change in tactics. If we continue to evolve last years systems I would take Papali’i and Finau at 6 and 7 (conceding that Blackadder will be injured) and Ardie at 8.
33 Go to commentsArdie’s preferred position 7? Where do they get these writers from? I've no idea where he's playing in Japan, but the previous two seasons he wore the 7 jersey exactly twice.
17 Go to commentsNot good to hear Ulster described as “financially troubled”. Did not think it was getting to that level. I would hope the Irish system of spreading players of talent away from Leinster would kick in now. Better to have a Leinster fringe player with Ulster or Connacht, then getting only a few games a season in Dublin. 10, for example, would seem to be a case for spreading the talent. I would not be at all adverse to a SA man coming in as head coach/DR. Ludeke is worth trying. Certainly got a long and impressive coaching career at this level…..149 games in SR, then Japan, 30 years experience. And Ulster’s ledger of successful SA coaches and players is on the positive side. Is talk of Ruan Pienaar interested in coming back as a coach…..could be a good combination with Ludeke. And Pienaar and family would have no settling in to do, one would judge. He loved life in Ulster when there, by all reports.
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