Care reveals Eddie's England 'dictatorship'

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Danny Care has shone a spotlight on Eddie Jones’ complex, high-stakes tenure as England head coach, revealing the brilliance and brutality of his methods.

Jones, who currently coaches Japan after an unsuccessful second stint with Australia, coached England between November 2015 and December 2022.

While he boasts a win percentage of 73% during his time with the Roses, the highest of any England coach, his methods have come under scrutiny.

Former England scrumhalf Care, who played under Jones, highlighted the Australian’s unconventional coaching in a chapter of his autobiography Everything Happens for a Reason: My Life in Rugby, quoted by the Times.

Care initially lauded Jones’ appointment, calling him “one of the best operators in world rugby”, citing his previous successes with Australia, the Springboks and Japan.

Yet, as Care details, Jones’ coaching style was anything but conventional, fostering a relentless environment that appears to have pushed players beyond their limits.

Among several insightful anecdotes is Dylan Hartley, whom Jones appointed as captain despite his disciplinary record at the time.

Care reveals that Jones pushed Hartley to set a standard for the team, orchestrating 6am wrestling sessions with then-defence coach Paul Gustard.

“I felt a bit guilty tucking into my scrambled eggs on toast while Dyls and Gussy were grappling in the corner,” Care humorously reflects.

The “Test-match Tuesdays” were another hallmark of Jones’ tenure. According to Care, Jones would single out players after these brutal training sessions, never accepting an answer that suggested satisfaction.

“If you were exhausted, you weren’t fit enough. If you enjoyed it, you hadn’t worked hard enough,” Care writes.

Jones’ approach was apparently not limited to players and extended to his coaching staff. Care recounts an incident where Jones handed a sports scientist a carrier bag filled with meat as an apology for berating him. When the assistant opened the bag, he found only sausages, accompanied by a text: “Mate you’re a sausage, you don’t deserve steak yet.”

Care likens Jones’ approach to a dictatorship, noting how staff members would disappear without explanation and analysts were left shaking from fear of his reproach.

Care’s account of Jones’ treatment of Wasps flanker Sam Jones provides a stark example of the physical toll of these practices.

In a 2016 camp, Sam Jones suffered a career-ending ankle injury while wrestling teammate Maro Itoje – a drill Eddie Jones believed would toughen players for contact. Despite Sam Jones’ clear agony, Eddie Jones reportedly brushed it off, telling him, “You should’ve strapped your ankles, mate”.

Photo: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

The post Care reveals Eddie’s England ‘dictatorship’ appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.