Eddie Jones has dismissed Danny Cipriani’s allegations against him – that he harassed him with inappropriate questions about his ex-girlfriend, TV presenter Kirsty Gallacher – as “absurd” and “a fabrication”.
The former England head coach, now back in charge of his native Australia, has responded to allegations in Cipriani’s autobiography, Who Am I? In it, the ex-England fly-half reported on a conversation over dinner in 2016, saying: ‘Eddie comes over and sits next to me.
“The first words that come out of his mouth are, ‘Mate, doesn’t Kirsty Gallacher live around here? Didn’t you fuck her? What’s she like?”.
“I just broke up with Kirsty, after a short relationship, and it’s not something I want to talk about with my head coach, or anyone.
“Eddie keeps pecking, like a horny teen, and finally I tell him honestly, ‘Eddie, I don’t want to talk about this, it makes me uncomfortable.’
Eddie Jones has dismissed Danny Cipriani’s claims that he asked inappropriate questions about his ex-girlfriend, the TV presenter Kristy Gallacher.
The former England star (right) and Gallacher (left) were in a relationship for a short while
Jones is preparing his Wallabies squad for Saturday’s World Cup opener against Georgia, but when contacted by Mail Sport, he refuted Cipriani’s comments, saying: “We didn’t have a close relationship so I’m going to barely involved. such a conversation with him.
“Frankly, it’s a complete fabrication. We have not selected him. If players don’t get selected, they always have a problem – we know that.
“He’s selling a book, so I’m not surprised if players want to sell books. It’s absurd. It’s almost too absurd to talk about.
“I feel very sad for him that he feels he has to come up with something to sell his book.”
When asked if he had ever spoken to Cipriani about Kirsty Gallacher in any way, Jones said, “I don’t remember.”
And when asked if he was upset by the allegations, he added: “It’s just nonsense. If anyone is stupid enough to pay attention to it, good luck.”
Jones is notoriously harsh on his players and uncompromising in his approach, but he categorically denied discussing sexual matters with Cipriani.
Cipriani alleged that Jones allegedly asked questions of a sexual nature about Gallacher
The former England boss said he had no close relationship with Cipriani
Jones dismissed Cipriani’s allegations as ‘complete fabrications’ and ‘absolute nonsense’
“That’s definitely not the kind of language I would use,” he said.
It’s not how I talk to players. In all the years I’ve been a coach, there have been very few such conversations with players.
“That’s not to say I didn’t have such a conversation, but it must have been very few—and certainly not with Cipriani.”
Throughout his years as a coach, Jones has often been hostile and confrontational, but has denied ever being accused of inappropriate behavior like this before. “I can never remember,” he said.
“And if anything, it would have been in the papers.
Jones prepares the Wallabies for their Rugby World Cup opener against Georgia
“I have learned to keep an appropriate distance. You do not coach during the time I coach without keeping the appropriate distance.
“I get criticized for being too hard. Now someone is trying to make it clear that I know the players too well. Think what you want me to be!’
His player-coach relationship with Cipriani was known to be strained and tense, but Jones claimed the last contact between them had been cordial, under sad circumstances.
He said, “I wrote him a note when his last girlfriend committed suicide, to ask if he was okay, just out of courtesy.”
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