George says Jones regime successful but 'challenging'

The England captain, Jamie George, has admitted that Eddie Jones's regime could be "challenging" and empathises with Danny Care after his explosive claims about the Australian's setup, insisting that a toxic environment is not a necessary price to pay for success.

- Gerard Meagher

Care's comments, which point to "a culture of fear", were last night put to Jones - who was sacked as England head coach in December 2022 and replaced by Steve Borthwick - but he claimed to be unaware of the accusations.

George, who was appointed England captain at the start of the year, was a mainstay of Jones's squad and is adamant that the current setup is "much more inclusive" but did concede "it hasn't always been that way" in a nod to Care's comments in his autobiography that the previous environment was like "a dictatorship".

Under Jones, George won three Six Nations titles, including the grand slam in his first year in charge, and reached the 2019 World Cup final. While he praised the current Japan head coach for his achievements with England, he was adamant success does not have to come at a cost.

Care has suggested that England prospered under Jones, particularly in the early years of his tenure, precisely because of how hard he could be on the players.