England Rugby defend their safeguarding policy after Danny Care likened Eddie Jones’ reign to ‘being bullied at school’ and ‘living in a dictatorship’

The RFU have defended their ability to support players and provide adequate protection, following Danny Care’s revelations of a culture of fear under Eddie Jones, which he likened to ‘being bullied at school’.

In an excerpt from his forthcoming autobiography, Everything Happens for a Reason, Care recalled the uncomfortable environment during Jones’ tenure as leader of England, saying: ‘Did Eddie rule out of fear? Of course he did.

‘Everyone was terrified of him. Remember how it felt when someone was being bullied at school and you were just glad it wasn’t you? That was the atmosphere.’ The Harlequins scrum-half added that it was like ‘living in a dictatorship, under a despot who disappeared people’.

Care’s testimony about life under Jones, published by the Timesincluding stories of players being subjected to mind games, the cruel treatment of staff and the horrific story of how Wasps winger Sam Jones’ career was ended by an accident during a judo wrestling practice while on duty in England.

In response, the RFU emphasized that a system was in place to report concerns, but this did not happen.

A union spokesperson said: “The elite game is a high-performance environment and we recognize that its demands can be challenging. That’s why we offer a range of support services for players.

‘During his time with England, no complaints about Eddie Jones were made to the RFU by players, either through anonymous feedback surveys or through our confidential whistleblowing service.

‘The RFU’s confidential whistleblowing service, which is open to all players and staff, is promoted every season and we always investigate any concerns raised. We have been in contact with Danny Care, he has made it clear that he does not want to take any formal action and that he also has high praise for Eddie in many parts of his book.’

Care’s report will raise new doubts about whether England head coaches are subject to sufficient scrutiny from the RFU hierarchy.

There was frequent speculation that Eddie Jones had become so powerful that he could act with impunity while in charge of the national team.

However, his successor, Steve Borthwick, has weekly meetings with the union’s chief executive Bill Sweeney and performance director Conor O’Shea – who also regularly goes into camp for talks with players and assistant coaches.

After each England campaign there is a formal assessment process where a panel considers anonymous feedback from players and staff.