Eddie raps owners over injury crisis
EddIe Jones lit the fuse for a club v country row after he fired back at criticism of the number of injuries sustained in england training.
Bath owner Bruce Craig blasted Jones last week after Beno obano became the fifth Bath player to suffer a serious injury on england duty, branding it ‘unacceptable’.
obano suffered ligament and hamstring tendon damage and could be out for up to a year. Tom ellis, dave Attwood, Anthony Watson and sam Underhill were the other Bath casualties in previous training camps.
At least 15 players have been injured during england training sessions since Jones took over as head coach following the 2015 World Cup.
Worcester centre Ben Te’o is the latest. He suffered a quadriceps tear during a weight training session.
But Jones yesterday defended his training methods, saying: ‘I don’t have any concerns. We train appropriately for Test match rugby.
‘The only reason I’d alter it is if we need to train harder, or train lighter, to be at our best for Tests. We prepare players for Test matches. I don’t think anyone at a club has the right to tell a coach how to train a Test team.’
Jones ( right) later addressed the injury numbers, telling the BBC: ‘I haven’t seen any figures to suggest they are ( unacceptable), no one in our staff has suggested they are.’ He added sarcastically: ‘But Bruce is obviously an expert in training-ground injuries, so I’ll have to be subservient to his greater knowledge.’
Te’o joins a list of 24 players who will be unavailable for the three-Test series against south Africa next month.
Last summer’s British and Irish Lions tour of new Zealand, combined with the attritional demands of club and Test rugby, has taken a severe toll.
Jones said: ‘You never want to get players injured, you’re always looking to train appropriately for the game but we play a collision sport.
‘As you see on the tour, 17 players from the Lions and we’ve got nine available and a lot of those injuries have happened in games, not training.’
england will play their first two games against the springboks at altitude, with the opening Test at ellis Park in Johannesburg, the highest stadium in the world at 1,810m above sea level and touring teams have struggled to adapt to the thin air in the past. Ireland led the springboks 19-3 at half-time at ellis Park in 2016 but then conceded 29 points as they struggled in the punishing conditions.
‘no one has an answer for altitude,’ said Jones. ‘We have done all sorts of things. I remember with the Wallabies changing training times, wearing sunglasses, doing all sorts of different things and you still get beaten. There is a way to play at altitude and we intend to play that way.’
Billy Vunipola’s fitness also remains a worry. The saracens no 8 has endured an injury-ravaged season but got through 59 minutes in last saturday’s Aviva Premiership final.
‘We still have a concern over his hamstring,’ added Jones. ‘It’s still a little bit tight so we have just got to be careful with him. He might be right for saturday week.’