Gatland turns up the heat on Jones
YOU COULD LOSE SIX ON TROT, TAUNTS RIVAL
PRESSURE was mounting on England coach Eddie Jones last night after his controversial comments brought spiky responses from the Welsh and Irish whom he had slighted at a corporate event last July.
Before naming his team to face Ireland at Twickenham tomorrow, Jones reiterated his apology for calling the Irish ‘scummy’ and Wales a ‘ little s*** place’ in a speech in Japan which suddenly came to light on Wednesday.
Despite England’s beleaguered Six Nations campaign, Jones insisted yesterday that he relished being ‘under the pump’.
At the same time, at the Wales team HQ just outside Cardiff, ASSISTANT REF DITCHED OVER ENGLAND LINK-UP WORLD RUGBY have stood down one of the assistant referees for tomorrow’s match over fears he would be accused of bias. South African Marius van der Westhuizen, 34, went into the England camp on Monday to referee a training session, days before he was set to run the line at Twickenham. The move did not breach World Rugby regulations, but Van der Westhuizen has still been ditched, with Welshman Nigel Owens taking his place. A World Rugby statement read: ‘We have taken the proactive decision to stand Marius down to avoid any additional unfair and unnecessary conjecture.’ Warren Gatland was being asked what he made of it all. The Kiwi, speaking on behalf of his adopted nation, insisted ‘it is not offensive to us’, adding: ‘ We all say things behind closed doors, about ourselves and other nations.’
Jones has declared an interest in coaching the Lions in South Africa in 2021 and there has already been speculation that this episode might harm his chances. But
Sportsmail understands it is being regarded within Lions circles as a ‘storm in a teacup’ and that it has not been discussed among board members since it came to light.
Instead, there are more pressing problems for Jones, as Gatland was quick to emphasise. On the back of defeats against Scotland and France, there is now a desperate need to beat the new Six Nations champions, tomorrow.
‘The pressure for England isn’t about the comments,’ said Gatland. ‘ The pressure for England is they have to win on Saturday, because if England lose against Ireland, then they have three games against South Africa. They could go from a losing streak of two to six pretty quickly.’
Former Ireland and Lions hooker Shane Byrne told Sportsmail that the inflammatory comments captured on video may yet result in Jones missing out on the Lions job. ‘If there’s a 50-50 call between Eddie Jones and someone else and they’re looking at their flaws, it could be held against him,’ he said. ‘It was tongue in cheek but it won’t help him. Those comments will follow him around. If he’s going for the Lions job in 2021, the media will bring it up.’
Byrne also claimed the remarks will further galvanise an Irish squad who are closing in on a Grand Slam. ‘We all know there was nothing racist in it, but you use anything you can when you’re getting ready for a game,’ he said. ‘It’s perfect material. It’s certainly added a bit of spice. They’ll have his words up on the wall in the dressing room, definitely.’
Jones made his remarks at an event hosted by Japanese truck manufacturers Fuso. The RFU described it as a ‘private commercial appearance’ by the head coach. Fuso yesterday deleted the video of the event and issued a statement saying: ‘The offensive statements made by Eddie Jones in July 2017 regarding the nations of Ireland and Wales run completely counter to [ our] commitment to integrity and our deep respect for all peoples. That said, we welcome Mr Jones’s swift apology for his inappropriate language and sentiments. We apologise for these offensive comments being made and broadcast.’
Jones tried to draw a line under the matter. After naming his team, he said: ‘I’m focusing on the game. The other situation — I’ve addressed that, I’ve apologised for it and I can’t do anything about that now.’
When pressed on how he is coping with the current pressure and adversity, and having a target on his back as the head coach of England, Jones added: ‘I love it. This is what we get paid for as coaches. It’s the best time in rugby when you’re under the pump and you’ve got to produce.’
THERE have been radio phone- ins to debate whether Jones should lose his job. He shouldn’t, of course. Jones has been foolish and it was appropriate that he apologised.
After being accosted by drunken Scottish fans last month following a train journey from Edinburgh, Jones warned that prominent public figures must take care with what they say. The emergence of his comments suggests he does not always follow his own advice. When he expects his players to be guarded and correct with all their talk and behaviour, his own conduct smacks of double standards.
But is he bigoted or malicious? No, not in the slightest. In this case, it comes across merely as clumsy, poor-taste humour.
When another Australian coach, Jones’s friend Scott Johnson, called New Zealand ‘two poxy little islands in the south Pacific’ while in charge of Wales, that jibe was not met by howls of protest and calls for his dismissal.
There is still some space for sharp humour and cross-border needle within the now ultra-professional sport, without it being seen as an affront to decency.