ABS job ‘came too early’
Former All Blacks coach John Mitchell has had ‘‘a good look in the mirror’’ and believes his past mistakes will help makes him a better coach for England.
The 54-year-old’s appointment as Eddie Jones’ defence coach has been under fire in the British media, with former England and British and Irish Lions pivot Stuart Barnes launching a scathing attack.
Mitchell admitted to the Daily Mail that his appointment as All Blacks coach at the age of 37 in 2001 came too early, but he believed having a spell running a company had made him a better communicator.
‘‘People make mistakes and I have,’’ Mitchell said.
‘‘But there has been success as well. At least I had a good look in the mirror and said that I wanted to get better.
‘‘I will not shy away from having a strong methodology. The lessons I have experienced will hold me in good stead.’’
The Daily Mail claimed Mitchell’s new job with the Rugby Football Union ‘‘puts him in pole position’’ to take over from Jones after the 2019 Rugby World Cup.
Mitchell said: ‘‘I am back coaching at international level and you cannot put a currency on the development I am gaining.’’
Barnes dismissed the Kiwis’ appointment, saying: ‘‘Mitchell is not an inveterate winner. He is not prepared to live in England. He endured a miserable season as far as the Blue Bulls defence was concerned.
‘‘And he is not a defensive specialist.’’
But Jones believes he has got the right man beside him.
‘‘The spotlight is on you all the time during a World Cup,’’ Jones told The Guardian. ‘‘I have always wanted to have someone like Mitch with us, having worked in that position [with South Africa’s winning World Cup team] in 2007. It allows you to sometimes step out and look at things from afar and on other occasions be in there driving it.
‘‘It has worked for New Zealand in the last two World Cups and it may be that I do a bit less coaching. We have not worked it out yet, but it will evolve.
‘‘I have known John for 20 years and first coached against him when he was with Waikato in 2000 and he has improved every one of his teams enormously. He will get players to think in different ways.’’