The emotional family price paid by Eddie Jones during the coronavirus pandemic
Eddie Jones has revealed the personal cost of the coronavirus pandemic – the cancellation a trip home to Australia to celebrate his elderly mother’s 95th birthday.
The England coach has planned to spend some time in Sydney at the end of the 2020 Guinness Six Nations. However, with the completion of the tournament thrown into chaos by the series of coronavirus-enforced postponements, Jones had to revise his post-campaign schedule and has instead hunkered down in Japan during the pandemic.
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Eddie Jones agrees England contract extension
Speaking on video conference following confirmation that his England contract had been extended through to the 2023 World Cup in France, Jones explained: “I was due at the end of the Six Nations to go home and visit my mother in Australia. It was her 95th birthday but given the situation, if I went back there I would have to self isolate.
“Then my wife wanted to be near her family so we came up to Japan and at the moment we’re just continually assessing the situation. I can do the job – as you see we do everything by video and technology now. We’d like to be back in the country [England] but we will just wait and see and wait for the appropriate time to come back.”
The pandemic hasn’t yet resulted in severe restrictions in Japan similar to the lockdown in Britain. “Not to that extent at the moment. Life is relatively normal, but they are anticipating another spurt so things are tightening up a little bit.”
Jones is due to lead England on a two-Test tour in Japan next July and while indications are the trip will fall victim to the pandemic and be called off similar to the Tokyo Olympics, RFU CEO Bill Sweeney said a final decision about the matches in Oita and Kobe won’t be taken until late April.
“I wouldn’t say absolutely that these tours are off,” explained the chief executive. “You would probably say it is a strong possibility. With the Olympics you have 113 nations and 11,000 athletes coming into Tokyo from all different parts of the world at different stages in the crisis so it is much harder to manage.
“At least with a tour you have got two countries involved… it’s not definitely off but we have set ourselves a deadline to World Rugby to make a decision at the end of April. What has come out of this is an approach from all the unions north and south and World Rugby to restart with a blank sheet off paper and say these really are exceptional times.
“You can imagine there is god knows how many different contingency plans and different options you can put together should the July tours be off. It would be premature to say now are there favoured options amongst those.
“But there is a number we are looking at to ensure that when we are given the go-ahead to play that we will have the matches in place, we will have the ability for the fans to get back together, we will have the ability for the players to get back on the field and compete and we are going through that process now.”
Defeats to South Africa and France haven't knocked his chutzpahhttps://t.co/MaKW1VygOo
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That’s a process which will resume with England knowing they have Jones in situ until the 2023 finals in France. Agreement was struck with the RFU before the start of the recent Six Nations and was due to be announced following the completion of England’s campaign in Rome.
However, that March 14 Italian match was postponed and news of the Australian’s extension was soon put on the long finger due to lockdown measures implemented in Britain, a crisis that coincided with Jones accepting a short-term pay cut last week.
“The RFU showed the way,” he said. “I was really pleased how decisive they were and it was easy to make a decision to follow that. It’s a small thing personally you do to ensure we can get through that next period of time. Part of that is taking that salary cut.
“But the most important part is that the role we have to play once we can get back playing rugby, it’s going to be important that we get the game back together. There was a call before about the clubs struggling, the amateur clubs struggling, the community clubs struggling, and I’m sure there is going to be professional clubs that struggle.
“We have got make sure whatever form rugby takes post this that it’s in a stronger state than it was previously and that is the ambition of the rugby community now, to get everyone working back together and ensure the game is stronger when we get back playing.
“I couldn’t be more excited,” he added about his decision to extend his contract. “We have a great team. We played some really good rugby and are on the cusp of doing something really good. We have got a relatively young squad, full of growth, full of enthusiasm, and I was really pleased with the attitude of the squad during the Six Nations, particularly after the France game which was disappointing for everyone.
“As I explained before the performance was due to my poor coaching rather than the players’ performance. Then the rest of the Six Nations, I thought we played with a lot of endeavour and I can just see us taking rugby to a different level.
“That is what we want to do and that is why I’m so excited to be involved with this group of players – it’s just a great opportunity and it’s something I couldn’t turn my back on.
“We want to become a great team, we want to become one of those teams where people remember how you play over a period of time. That’s the aim I have as a coach. I want a team that plays a perfect game of rugby and I want a team that can be remembered as a great team.
“We have got the players within England to do that. The players have the hunger to do it. We have seen periods of time where they have done it, but we haven’t been able to do it consistently and the test off greatness is to do it consistently.
“With that comes results and if we are the greatest team then a World Cup medal is probably sitting in from of us. But our goal hasn’t changed from what I stated at the start of the cycle and it will continue to be the same.”
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Comments on RugbyPass
I know Leinster did a job on La Roche but shortly after HT Leinster were 30-13 ahead of them and at a similar time Toulouse were trailing Exeter. At 60 mins Leinster were 27 ahead but after 67 mins Toulouse were only 19 ahead before Exeter collapsed. That’s heavier scoring by Leinster against the Champions. I think people are looking at Toulouses total a little too much. I also think Northhampton are in with a real chance, albeit I’d put Leinster as favourites. If Leinster make the final I expect them to win by more than ten and with control.
2 Go to commentsHey Nick, your match analysis is decent but the top and tail not so much, a bit more random. For a start there’s a seismic difference in regenerating any club side over a test team. EJ pretty much had to urinate with the appendage he’d been given at test level whereas club success is impacted hugely by the budget. Look no further than Boudjellal’s Toulon project for a perfect example. The set ups at La Rochelle and Leinster are like chalk and cheese and you are correct that Leinster are ahead. Leinster are not just slightly ahead though, they are light years ahead on their plans, with the next gen champions cup team already blooded, seasoned and developing at speed from their time manning the fort in the URC while the cream play CC and tests. They have engineered a strong talent conveyor belt into their system, supported by private money funnelled into a couple of Leinster private schools. The really smart move from Leinster and the IRFU however is maximising the Irish Revenue tax breaks (tax relief on the best 10 years earnings refunded at retirement) to help keep all of their stars in Ireland and happy, while simultaneously funding marquee players consistently. And of course Barrett is the latest example. But in no way is he a “replacement for Henshaw”, he’s only there for one season!!! As for Rob Baxter, the best advice you can give him is to start lobbying Parliament and HMRC for a similar state subsidy, but don’t hold your breath… One thing Cullen has been very smart with is his coaching team. Very quickly he realised his need to supplement his skills, there was talk of him exiting after his first couple of years but he was extremely shrewd bringing in Lancaster and now Nienaber. That has worked superbly and added a layer that really has made a tangible difference. Apart from that you were bang on the money… 😉😂
2 Go to commentsNot sure exactly what went wrong for him at Glasgow but it’s pretty clear he ain’t Franco’s cup of tea. Suspect he would have been better served heading out of Scotland around the same time as Finn, Hoggy and Jonny!
1 Go to commentsBulls disrespected the Northampton supporters and the competition. Decide quickly, fully in or out.
24 Go to commentsI wonder if Parling was ever on England’s radar as a coach? Obviously Borthwick is a great lineout coach, but I do worry he might be taking on too much as both head coach and forwards coach.
1 Go to commentsJason Jenkins has one cap. When Etzebeth was his age he had over 80 caps. Experience matters. He will never amount to what Etzebeth has because he hasn’t been developed as an international player.
2 Go to commentsSays much about the player picking this gig over the easier and bigger rewards offered to him in Japan. Also says a lot about the state sanctioned tax benefits the Irish Revenue offers pro rugby players, with their ten highest earning years subject to an additional 40% tax relief and paid as a lump sum, in cash, at retirement. Certainly helps Leinster line up the financial ducks in a row to fund marquee signings like this!!! No other union anywhere in world rugby benefits from this kind of lucrative financial sponsorship from their government…
5 Go to commentsTrue Jordie could earn a lot more in Japan. But by choosing Leinster he’ll be playing with 1 of the best clubs in the world and can win a champions cup and URC…..
6 Go to commentsThanks for that Marshy, noticed you didn't say who is gonna win it. We know who ain't gonna win it - your Crusaders outfit. They've gone from having arguably the best Super Rugby first five ever, to having a clutch of rookies. Hurricanes all the way!
1 Go to commentsGeez you really have to question the NRLs ability to produce players of quality. Its pathetic. Dont the 25mil in Aus produce enough quality womens players. Sad.
1 Go to commentsBulls fan here, and agree 100% with the conclusion (and little else) of this article. SA sides should absolutely f-off from the champs cup until we get fair scheduling, equal support for travel arrangements and home semis. You know, like all the european teams get.
24 Go to commentsI’m yet to see why Grace would be an ABs contender. He’s pedestrian and lacks the dominance required of a top flight 8.
11 Go to commentsGee my Highlanders were terrible. They have gone backwards since the start of the season. The trouble began when we left Millar behind to prep as the 10 against the Brumbies and he was disconnected from the team that came back from Aussie. We rested Patchell for that game and we blew an avalanche of ball in good attacking positions in the 1st half. Against the Rebels we seem to of gone into a pod system with forwards hanging off from the breakdown leaving Fakatava to secure our ball!
80 Go to commentsPot Kettle, the English and French teams have done it for years.
24 Go to commentsHas virtually played every minute of previous games. Back row of Li Lo Willie , Grace and Blackadder would be the 1. Crusaders issue is a very average 1st 5 who cannot run. Kicking in general play is also below par They need to put Yong Kemara in. He must have so.e talent for them to bring him down from Waikato. Hoehepa would struggle to play in so.e club sided
11 Go to commentsI hope this a good thing making all these changes!
3 Go to commentsThe Hurricanes are good, especially with a decent coach now. However, let’s be real, the Crusaders and Chiefs are clearly a good degree weaker without the players they’ve lost overseas now. The Canes lost one player. It’s also why the aussie teams ‘seem’ to be stronger.
9 Go to commentsOr you could develop your own players instead of constantly taking from the SH competition and weakening it in the process? With all the player and financial resources these unions have compared to SH countries you’d think they could manage that, or is weakening the SH comps and their national sides an added bonus? Probably.
3 Go to commentsNot so fast Aaron, we might need you in black yet lol. God knows he’d be a lot less nerve-racking than hot and (very) cold players like Perofeta. It’s really a shame Reuben Love isn’t playing 10, we’ve got enough 15 options.
4 Go to commentsAnd those from the NH still seem to be puzzled (and delighted) why NZ’s depth isn’t what it once was. Over 600 NZ players overseas, that’s insane. This sort of deal is why Super Rugby coaches have admitted they struggle now to find enough quality to fill out their squads.
6 Go to comments