As is often the case with the truculent Australian, it has been impossible to escape his name in the build-up to this weekend’s clash between his employers new and old; talk of the Eddie era seeming to bounce out of the whispering walls and ornate corners of the Pennyhill Park training base he used to patrol.
Indeed, after his enforced withdrawal, it feels like the only person yet to pass comment on Jones’s eccentricities and efficacy is the man himself – a relative rarity for someone who takes great pleasure in nailing the narrative. There was a degree of dodging from the Japan Rugby Football Union this week, with a virtual press conference all that was offered with their head coach even before his illness. The music will be faced today for certain: “He’ll be [at Twickenham] with bells on,” assistant Neal Hatley promised.
If it was inevitable that the former England coach would be a topic of discussion as he takes on his former side at Twickenham for the first time since his sacking, his centrality as an issue was only heightened by a less-than-flattering portrayal in Danny Care’s recently-published autobiography. Care’s description of a despotic and dictatorial coach did not necessarily contain much information that hadn’t been rumoured or ruminated on privately before, but the detail of an environment seemingly endured rather than enjoyed was still striking.
Questions remain over how the Rugby Football Union let such a culture persist if Care's comments are to be taken as true. While plenty of other players have given testimony on how Jones's approach managed to get the best out of them, some clearly were made to feel rotten. It makes his legacy within the England environment peculiar, some of the current crop owing their careers to early opportunities given to them; others rather glad that a figure they could never get on the right side of was moved on.
Denne historien er fra November 24, 2024-utgaven av The Independent.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra November 24, 2024-utgaven av The Independent.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Slot thirsts for revenge over season's surprise package
Arne Slot's disappointment was exacerbated by the identity of Liverpool's conquerors. \"Normally this team is not ending up in the top 10,\" he said after what, four months on, remains his only defeat at Anfield.
Post Office sees £1bn in withdrawals in December
Cash withdrawals topped £1bn at post offices in December, marking the first time on record that this has happened in a single month.
Bankers face bonus cuts if not in office twice a week
Calls to return to offices on a more regular basis continue to be a theme as we head into 2025, with several big organisations ordering their workforce to increase their time at the desk. Now Lloyds Banking Group is doing the same - with the possibility of bonus cuts for those who don't comply.
Taliban don't see women as human beings, says activist
Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai has called on Muslim leaders to confront the Taliban government in Afghanistan for its oppressive policies against girls and women.
North Korean soldiers used as drone 'bait' in Ukraine
Hundreds of North Korean troops have been killed fighting against Ukraine over the last few months, according to South Korea's intelligence agency. The National Intelligence Service (NIS) of South Korea said 300 of Pyongyang's troops have been killed and another 2,700 wounded since joining Vladimir Putin's forces last year.
Sussexes dubbed 'disaster tourists' after LA fire photos
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been branded \"disaster tourists\" in search of a \"photo op\" after they were pictured consoling victims of the catastrophic Los Angeles wildfires.
Los Angeles braced for high winds as wildfires continue
At least 24 people dead as 70mph gusts could spread blazes
Tap water may increase risk of dementia, study suggests
Drinking tap water could be putting millions of people living in the UK at a greater risk of dementia, new research has found.
'Corridor' nurses wanted to help ease NHS winter crisis
Hospitals across England remain under extreme pressure from winter flu cases with one hospital advertising for nurses to take on \"corridor shifts\" in its A&E department to help manage the surge in patients.
Tax break gives Le Carré's kids £1.5m to Smiley about
Spy author's archive is officially classed as cultural heritage
