Japan has expressed confidence that Eddie Jones will be present in the coaching box for their match against England on Sunday, marking his first return to Twickenham as an international coach since his departure from England in December 2022. Jones, who was sacked after a seven-year tenure as England's head coach, pulled out of his pre-match press conference on Friday night due to illness, but is reportedly "unwell but nothing too serious."
Jones has recently faced significant scrutiny following comments made by Danny Care in his autobiography, accusing the Australian of fostering a toxic environment, running a "dictatorship," and behaving like a "despot who disappeared people" through bullying staff members and players. Shortly after Care's accusations became public, Jones claimed ignorance, stating: "I haven't read the book, I haven't read the comments, so I have no idea what you're talking about. Apologies."
Prior to Jones's withdrawal from media duties, the Japan Rugby Football Union had already established that online access to the head coach would be restricted, with all questions needing to be related to the weekend game's announcement. Unrelated questions could be halted by a moderator. Due to Jones's illness, his assistant Neal Hatley stepped in at short notice. Hatley expressed confidence in Jones's attendance, saying, "He'll be [at Twickenham] with bells on. It's just a precaution, he'll be there, he'll be fine for the weekend no problems."
Hatley, who also served as an England assistant under Jones, added, "I know he couldn't be more excited about coming to Twickenham. [England] are an extremely good side, their run hasn't been maybe what the English public would want but they've been playing really good rugby." Hatley joined the England staff in 2016 and spent three and a half years working with Jones. He reunited with Jones during his ill-fated stint with Australia before joining him again at Japan. Reflecting on his experiences with Jones in light of Care's revelations, Hatley said, "I think you vote with your feet. This is the third time I've had the opportunity to work with him and the third time I jumped at it. I've enjoyed working with him immensely. He challenges me daily to be the best version I can be of myself and to make sure we get the best out of the players. It's the third time I've had the opportunity to work with him and it was an absolute no brainer for me. My experiences were that I loved my time with [England] and I've chosen to work with Eddie twice since."
Jones has coached at Twickenham since his dismissal from England, receiving a mixed reception from the crowd as he took charge of the Barbarians in a fixture against a World XV in the summer of 2023. Earlier this summer, he also faced England for the first time, with Steve Borthwick's side securing an emphatic 52-17 victory over Japan in Tokyo.
Source link: https://www.theguardian.com
