World Cup winning coach Sir Clive Woodward has delivered a scathing assessment of England's loss to Argentina at Twickenham on Sunday.
In front of an 80,000 strong crowd, Eddie Jones ' side made an underwhelming start to their autumn campaign, as the Pumas overturned a 16-12 half time deficit to deservedly prevail 30-29. It was Emiliano Boffelli who delivered the defining moment, landing the winning penalty 10 minutes from time before the South American side effectively managed the closing stages.
The result heaps the pressure on Jones, after a difficult 2022 Six Nations campaign which yielded just two wins over Wales and Italy. And now Woodward, who became embroiled in an ongoing verbal feud with the Australian during his own tenure in charge of England, has described being in the stands as a "frankly awful experience."
"It was England’s first game since two of our biggest clubs have fallen into administration, something that never should have happened," he wrote, in his column for the Daily Mail. "While I hoped as always for inspiration, I left with an overwhelming sadness and confusion at where the game is heading in England.
"It was more than a bad day at the office and I had the feeling that few really cared. The RFU kept playing naff music throughout the match and I spent half the afternoon standing up because people were back and forth buying beers.
"The atmosphere felt artificial and contrived and, to top it off, England’s performance was so bad. Everyone was bored out of their brains."
In September, Woodward, 66, slammed Jones after after he was reprimanded for hitting out at the private school system in England, criticising the pathway it provides for rugby players making their way into the professional game. The man who also coached the British and Irish Lions in 2005 described the comments as "misplaced" and "insulting" to the national game.
"At a time when the game must work together to solve incredibly important issues, to hear such a divisive stance from the England coach is astonishing," said Woodward. "If Jones’s comments were solely concerned with growing the game and finding ways to take rugby to new schools and unearth new talent, you would support him. But that is not what he is saying.”
The 62-year-old led England to the World Cup final in 2019, but it remains to be seen if next year's version in France will be his final bow in the role with his contract set to expire after the tournament. Following Sunday's defeat, he challenged his players to respond ahead of a clash with his former side Japan this weekend.
