JONES: BATH CHIEF IS THE DONALD TRUMP OF RUGBY

EDDIE JONES branded Bath owner Bruce Craig the ‘Donald Trump of rugby’ as the club-versus-country feud intensified. The past week was dominated by the war of words between the England head coach and Bath’s millionaire supremo, all centring on training-ground injuries. At least 18 players have been injured at England camps — including five from Bath — which Craig called ‘totally unacceptable’. Jones fired back, saying no one could tell him how to coach the team, before Craig returned by labelling the Australian’s remarks ‘cynical’ and ‘inappropriate’. And now, determined to have the last word, Jones wasted little time on arrival in Durban for England’s tour of South Africa before resuming the slagging match. ‘Bruce Craig sounds like the Donald Trump of rugby. He has the same hairstyle,’ he said. ‘Everything we do is about training to get better, it’s not about satisfying some bloke who has got plenty of money in Bath and thinks he knows everything about rugby. I find it all a bit tedious. ‘I wish I knew that much. If I knew that much, I’d have as much money as him. Unfortunately I don’t, so I’ll stick to rugby.’ The intensity of Jones’ sessions have been criticised by many, but he is not backing down as he looks to guide England to their first series win in South Africa. ‘The players know that the training we do, we do for them to get better,’ Jones added. ‘We want to be the best team in the world and we train to get better. ‘Bruce is absolutely obsessed by intensity — Bruce is the intensity king of the world. We train appropriately for Test rugby. It seems like whatever Bruce says, goes. Maybe he’ll be the CEO of the RFU soon. ‘It’s not my job to speak to club owners, it’s my job to coach the England rugby team — and if he’s such an expert on training preparation, then possibly he should start coaching. ‘Maybe he wants to coach Bath, who knows? Maybe he wants to coach the Natal Sharks? I don’t care what he says, it doesn’t affect what I do with the team.’ Jones and several other member of the touring party arrived in Durban without their luggage, which was left in Johannesburg — the venue of the first Test — to avoid breaking the flight’s weight limit. England have set up camp on the east coast and will travel to each Test city a few days before the matches. The second Test will be in Bloemfontein, with the final one in Cape Town. And Jones is content by the Indian Ocean, saying: ‘Durban is one of the great places in the world. ‘Having had the experience of being in South Africa before, having a base suits us. The boys enjoy the warmth and Durban is a great training venue.’