Former Australia star Matt Giteau has branded England' s decision to sack Eddie Jones a 'big mistake' and the 'silliest thing they could do'. Jones was relieved from his role as head coach earlier this week following an underwhelming recent period.
England had seemingly hit a stale patch under the guidance of the Australian, having won just five of 12 Test matches in 2022. The sacking came following a review into the team's dismal Autumn internationals.
Jones' team won just one of four matches in the Autumn period, which included a shock defeat to underdogs Argentina at Twickenham last month.
One man who believes the decision to sack the head coach was the wrong one though, is Jones' fellow Australian Giteau. The 40-year-old - who played over 100 times for his country - slammed the sacking when taking to Twitter.
Tweeting prior to the sacking, he said: "If Eddie Jones gets sacked it would have to be the silliest thing they could do to the English rugby team. He plans & plans & plans years in advance for this competition.
"It’s the one competition that he has got consistently right time and time again. Big mistake imo [in my opinion]." Defending the sacking RFU Chair, Tom Ilube said: 'The independent review panel regularly updates board on its discussions and findings.
"We are fully supportive of its process and recommendations." Despite the sour ending, the RFU's CEO Bill Sweeney paid tribute to Jones, after serving for seven years as the England head coach.
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Sweeney commented: "It is important to recognise the huge contribution Eddie has made to English rugby, winning three Six Nations Championships, one Grand Slam and taking us to a Rugby World Cup final.
"He has the highest win ratio of any previous England head coach and has helped develop the leadership skills of many players and coaches. I am grateful to Eddie for all he has done for England across many areas of the game and the professional way in which he has approached reviewing the performance of the team.
'He has provided the panel with astute insight and meaningful lessons that will support the team performance going forward." Following his departure, Jones admitted he was 'pleased' with what he achieved during his time in charge. "I am pleased with much that we have achieved as an England team and I look forward to watching the team's performance in the future," the Australian revealed in a statement.
