England to hold crisis talks to resolve any resentment towards Saracens players
England are to hold crisis talks to resolve any internal anger and resentment felt towards Saracens players because of the salary cap scandal.
Eddie Jones will preside over the discussions in Portugal on Thursday when his 34-man squad begins a seven-day training camp to prepare for the Guinness Six Nations opener against France on February 2.
Saracens will be automatically relegated at the end of the season for breaching salary cap regulations after opting for demotion when presented with the choice of a season in the Championship or opening up their books for a forensic audit and handing back their Premiership trophies for two of the last three campaigns.
Although none of Jones’ current squad have been critical of the double winners in public, the north London club’s repeated failure to observe the £7million limit for player wages has been a source of long-term frustration among rivals.
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Saracens supply seven of the 34 players who will travel to the Algarve, including the influential Owen Farrell, Maro Itoje and Mako Vunipola, and Jones will encourage a frank exchange of views to address any ill-will.
“We have got to debrief Saracens. We need to get everything out on the table and sort it out,” Jones said.
“Well we are not robots. You don’t know how long it is going to take. It could take longer, but we will sort it out.
“It’s common sense – say what you feel. If players are angry about it then say it, get it out on the table.
“But at the end of the day there are 34 players who all want to play for England and their job is to get ready to play for England and sort it out.
“We will help them sort it out. I don’t envisage any problems at all, in fact I think it is an opportunity for the team to get tighter.
“We have got players from potentially 12 different clubs – 12 different ideas of what is right and what is wrong.
“We are like a family around the dinner table – someone wants to have pasta for dinner and the other one wants to have rice.
“They have a debate and that is ongoing in the national team. Every national team I have coached has those problems.
“I remember coaching Japan and the Panasonic players hated the Suntory players – hated each other. So we had to sort it out. That always happens.”
Once the topic of Saracens’ ‘financial doping’ has been covered, England’s squad will reflect on a fine World Cup that ended in a 32-12 defeat by South Africa in the final.
Although less divisive than the controversy at Allianz Park, the failure to fire a shot against the Springboks a week after dismantling New Zealand could still fester in the minds of those involved.
“Some people will still be hurting, some won’t remember it and will just get on with it. Everyone is different,” Jones said.
“We’ve got to make sure we learn from it. It was a failure for us in the final. What can we do better? How can we prepare for games like that in the future better?
“I’ve made mistakes – I don’t think I prepared the side well. Possibly I didn’t select well and they are things that every day I go over one way or the other.
“Of course I’m still hurting but that’s part of the joy of coaching. Just like when you win a game it feels good when you lose a game it hurts.”
England must plan for the Stade de France showdown on Sunday week without number eight Billy Vunipola and wing Jack Nowell, who are set to miss the entire Six Nations with respective arm and ankle injuries.
Of additional concern to Jones is how games will be officiated during the Championship.
“We’ve got no idea how the referees are going to referee the games, which is a concern for me because I felt teams weren’t allowed to play with enough quick ball,” Jones said.
“Slow ball means more kicking. More high balls. Do you like it when the half-backs go box, box, box? Do you enjoy that? No. That’s exactly right.
“I’d have two referees – one at the breakdown and one at the offside line. And the assistant referees are actually assistant referees.”
McCall confirms Saracens squad will be broken up:
Comments on RugbyPass
Ben Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
19 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
7 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
19 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
9 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
9 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
26 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
19 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
26 Go to commentsThis sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
19 Go to commentsThe rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
86 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
2 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
9 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
19 Go to comments9 Brumbies! What a joke! The best performing team in Oz! Ditch Skelton for Swain or Neville. Ryan Lonergan ahead of McDermott any day! Best selection bolter is Toole … amazing player
14 Go to comments