Seven Ex-England Players Call Out Eddie Jones, And It's Brutal

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The stories just keep rolling in about Eddie Jones's time at the helm of England Rugby—and let's just say opinions are divided.

Some former players have slammed his coaching style, claiming it fostered a tense and pressured atmosphere. But not everyone's on the attack, with others stepping up to defend the Aussie tactician.

Here's the full breakdown of the mixed reactions.

James Haskell: “Best Coach I've Worked With”

James Haskell, never one to shy away from speaking his mind, was full of praise for Jones back in 2018. Haskell didn't mince words, calling Jones the best England coach he'd worked with.

“A lot of people have voiced opinions about Eddie recently, and I can honestly say he’s the best England coach – along with his other coaches – that I’ve ever worked with, hands down,” said Haskell. “I wish I had him and his coaching staff earlier in my career because I’m confident we would have had more success than we did.”

For Haskell, Jones's passion and approach set him apart: “His passion for his job and the way he approaches things is second to none.”

Samu Kerevi: "It's How You Take It"

Former Wallabies centre Samu Kerevi, who played under Jones in Australia, weighed in with a different perspective. For Kerevi, Jones's high-pressure tactics were just part of the game.

“I wouldn’t say terrifying,” said the 31-year-old Kerevi about Jones’s style. “It’s how you take it. I grew up in a different culture to what it is now in rugby.”

Kerevi went on to explain, “I’ve got a good relationship with Eddie. I think he puts pressure, not just on the players, but the staff. I think that’s what Danny Care’s talking about, but again, it’s how you receive it. Whether you thrive under it.”

The former England coach Jones may be a tactical mastermind, but his management style has come under fire. Here's a breakdown of the players who have voiced concerns.

Joe Marler: “A chore”

Following a recall prior to the 2023 Rugby World Cup, Marler said: "Having been out of the previous environment for 18 months and then coming back into Steve's environment and experiencing it for the first time in a World Cup camp and now here, there has been a huge difference in terms of how a lot of the group have felt, who they can be and how they can behave," he said.

"It's that's had a massive effect on how the players are approaching training and how they are enjoying themselves both on and off the pitch.

"For me, I just try my hardest to encourage that environment to keep that consistent because it does need work. It does not just happen.

"Having boys who are comfortable being themselves and who are encouraged to be themselves has to be a good thing because you then enjoy the work space you're in."

Danny Care

Danny Care, in excerpts from his book serialised by The Times, called Jones's England camp a "toxic environment" where players and staff were often belittled.

“You can’t start questioning people’s upbringing, how their parents are raising them,” Care told The Times. “I think it was all down to not working hard enough in a kick-chase or something.

“When I look back at it, that’s the sad thing. How can an environment that should be the best of the best… be like that, when everyone is so scared of the guy at the top that you can’t have a conversation with him?”

He recalled Jones's intimidating authority, saying, “Any day you look at him wrong or someone says the wrong thing, and he could just blow… he knew he had all these lads at his disposal, so many good players that he could get rid of you. It was a luxury he had.”

Alex Goode

Saracens star Alex Goode revealed on TalkSport the intense dynamic under Jones, admitting, “I didn’t exactly get on quite well with him – a lot of players didn’t.”

Goode acknowledged Jones's success, noting, "While I don't necessarily agree with some of the way he treated people… he was a brilliant coach in the sense he was the most successful England manager stats-wise."

While Goode didn't agree with all of Jones's methods, he credited him for pushing England to success: “He took us to the World Cup final… [and] got the best out of a lot of players, because a lot of players played their best rugby [under Jones].”

Mike Brown

Mike Brown faced Jones's wrath in a particularly harsh conversation before the 2019 World Cup when he was dropped. He described the tense moment, saying:

“I said to him, 'Look, I understand selection is what it is, but don't put it on that… It wasn't nice.”

Brown sought clarity about his omission, but Jones's response was blunt: "Who the F do you think you are?" It was a moment that Brown said ended any chance of a clean exit, adding, “I wanted clarity on why I wasn't getting picked, not some made-up excuse.”

Dylan Hartley

In a phone call that ended his international career, Dylan Hartley recalled Jones's harsh delivery: “You’re f***ed mate.”

Hartley revealed that the brief conversation was brutal even for Jones's standards: “Even by the standards of the 6am texts… this phone call was brutal… He was effectively ending my England career with three words.”

Zach Mercer

Zach Mercer was just starting his career when he got a memorable call from Jones. The coach didn't mince words, calling him "fat" and "lazy."

Mercer recalled the call on the RugbyPass Offload podcast: “He actually rang me and goes 'Mate, Eddie here,'… and Eddie goes: 'Well you effing don't look like you want to play for England. You're fat, you're lazy.'”

Despite this, Mercer said Jones's honesty was something he eventually respected, and even expressed interest in playing under him again: “I would love to play under him again at some point.”

Anonymous Source

During the 2022 Six Nations, reports surfaced that Saracens player Max Malins was brought to tears after being harshly criticised by Jones. The situation, according to an anonymous source, seemed to reflect a pattern.

"It's been seven years of players being relieved to be out of England camps," the source told The Times, adding, “There are very few who felt comfortable in that environment.”

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