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RFU 'strongly dismiss' Eddie Jones' succession story

By Online Editors
A dejected Eddie Jones

The Rugby Football Union denies holding talks with Rassie Erasmus over the possibility of him succeeding Eddie Jones as England head coach.

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A report in a South African newspaper states that Twickenham is exploring the option of recruiting Erasmus, the mastermind of the Springboks’ World Cup triumph last autumn.

The 47-year-old was present at Murrayfield on Saturday as England overcame Scotland 13-6 in the Guinness Six Nations, relieving pressure on Jones in the wake of successive and comprehensive defeats.

The first of those was to Erasmus’ South Africa in the World Cup final, when England were crushed 32-12 a week after overwhelming New Zealand.

Jones is contracted to remain Red Rose boss until July 2021 and while his future beyond then is uncertain, an RFU spokesman told the PA news agency that “we strongly dismiss this story”.

Both Jones and RFU chief executive Bill Sweeney have declined to outline publicly the succession plan for when the Australian does step down, or whether he will still be in place at the next World Cup in 2023.

Erasmus is currently acting as South Africa’s director of rugby but his success in Japan just 18 months after being parachuted in to rescue the Springboks from an alarming slump has made him a sought-after appointment.

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WATCH: Wales head coach Wayne Pivac and captain Alun Wyn Jones press conference following their defeat to Ireland in the Six Nations at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin.

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Jon 9 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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