SIR CLIVE WOODWARD: Eddie Jones’ England tenure was all misguided rhetoric and false promises

I’m always sorry to see people lose their jobs, but Eddie Jones has been very distracted since the last World Cup and he has paid the price.

He is a much better coach than he has shown in the last three years. He is a shadow of the Jones I competed against and whose early years with England were so successful and deservedly applauded.

He focused entirely on the 2023 World Cup and that was a costly mistake. International rugby is very simple: focus everything on the next game without distractions. The fans who pump money into the sport didn’t buy his hype.

Eddie Jones has paid the price for focusing completely on the 2023 World Cup

He lost focus on just winning the next game and allowed himself to be distracted by the media, former players, writing books and whatnot. It was interesting to hear Arsene Wenger talk about Germany losing World Cup matches because he got distracted by political protests. They weren’t the only ones who took their eye off the ball.

What will Jones’s legacy be? The semi-final win over New Zealand at the 2019 World Cup was his best performance, but he will sadly be remembered for misguided rhetoric and broken promises. I don’t think history remembers this period of English rugby very well.

If it’s Steve Borthwick who comes in, we all have to get behind him and I wish him all the best. I hope they don’t pick him just because he’s English. I hope they pick him because they think he is the best coach in the world.

England will be reinvigorated and have enough talent to win the World Cup next year.

I knew Borthwick as a player and he must be given all the support and resources to ensure there are no excuses; the only sure thing is that the media bandwagon around Jones will disappear with Steve: what you see is what you get and that alone will be a breath of fresh air. I have no doubt that all the English players will be looking forward to working with him and his team.

He should be allowed to bring in his own coaching staff, and if I were him I would definitely bring in Kevin Sinfield from Leicester. He’s the only defense coach who can soften the blow of missing Shaun Edwards.

England have been distracted for too long. The players will get a second chance and there is enough talent to win the World Cup next year. Scotland is our next game. I can’t wait and truly believe that all of English rugby will be revitalized around a new young English manager – well done Steve Borthwick.

All English players will be looking forward to working with Steve Borthwick (R) and his team.

If Borthwick gets the job, he should look to bring Kevin Sinfield with him from Leicester.