Eddie Jones has alleged he was abused by a “clown” at half-time during England’s emphatic victory over Japan and has claimed that he will respond to Danny Care’s allegations that he oversaw a “dictatorship” by releasing his own book.
Jones was making his first visit to Twickenham to coach against England since he was sacked by the Rugby Football Union in December 2022. As was widely expected, Steve Borthwick’s side ran out comfortable winners and while Jones was full of praise for his former side, he explained that his return was marred by an incident with a supporter as he made his way down from the coaching box at half-time.
Asked how he found his return to his old stomping ground, Jones said: “It wasn’t bad until some clown abused me going down the stairs at half-time. If there’s only one clown in 81,634 that’s not bad. I’m disappointed with the result but it’s always good to come to the home of rugby. There was a fantastic atmosphere. He said something, but I’m not going to repeat it here because I’ll get into trouble. Do you want me to get into trouble again?”
The RFU responded by saying that “no coaches, players or match officials should be abused for doing their job”. Before the match, Jamie George had said he expected supporters to show Jones – who by win percentage is England’s most successful ever head coach and guided them to three Six Nations titles as well as the 2019 World Cup final – the respect he deserves.
Jones has made headlines of late following claims by Care in his autobiography that he oversaw a toxic environment, ran a “dictatorship” and acted like a “despot who disappeared people” by bullying staff members and players. Jones, who released two books during his seven-year tenure as England head coach, was asked whether he recognised those accusations. “I’ll tell you mate, I’ve got a new book deal,” he added. “I just signed it today. It’s going to be called ‘Caring about Care’ and you’ll get all the details in there. I’ve got pre-order forms up here, you can come up and get pre-order forms. Get them hot. I’m serious, mate. I’m very serious. If you want to read about it, read it in my book. That’s how you get headlines, so I’ll put a whole chapter in there “Caring about Care”, just for you.”
England ran out 59-14 victors to end their five-match losing streak and ensure Borthwick’s side avoided slipping to a fourth straight defeat at Twickenham after narrow losses to New Zealand, Australia and South Africa this month. Borthwick said: “The obvious overriding feeling will be one of frustration to have come so close to getting results but not actually been able to convert them in the first three weeks. That will be one emotion. The other aspect of it was real positivity around how the team plays. I want the team to be brave with the ball. I want them to play fast. I think we’ve seen growth in that area over the last four weeks.”
