Eddie Jones has claimed he was verbally assaulted by a 'clown' during the halftime interval of England's commanding win over Japan, and has announced plans to address Danny Care's accusations of overseeing a 'dictatorship' by publishing his own book. This marked Jones's inaugural return to Twickenham as a coach against England since his dismissal by the Rugby Football Union in December 2022. As anticipated, Steve Borthwick's team secured a comfortable victory. Despite his admiration for his former squad, Jones disclosed that his homecoming was tainted by an encounter with a spectator as he descended from the coaching box at halftime.
When questioned about his return to his former domain, Jones remarked: '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 promptly responded, asserting that 'no coaches, players or match officials should be abused for doing their job.' Prior to the match, Jamie George had anticipated that supporters would accord Jones, who holds the highest win percentage among England's head coaches and led them to three Six Nations titles and the 2019 World Cup final, the respect he merits.
Jones has recently garnered media attention due to Care's assertions in his autobiography, accusing Jones of fostering a toxic environment, running a 'dictatorship,' and behaving like a 'despot who disappeared people' through bullying staff and players. When asked if he recognized these allegations, Jones revealed: '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's 59-14 triumph ended their five-match losing streak, ensuring Borthwick's side avoided a fourth consecutive defeat at Twickenham following close losses to New Zealand, Australia, and South Africa this month. Borthwick commented: '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.'
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