EDDIE’S GIRL IN TENNIS ORDEAL
ENGLAND rugby coach Eddie Jones’s daughter got heatstroke after he pushed her to play tennis under the blazing Australian sun.
Eddie, who led England to the World Cup final, said: “We were playing tennis on a hot day and, aged about 12, she was struggling.
“I urged her to keep going. She got a bit upset but we kept playing and she ended up getting heatstroke. I was mortified.”
But it helped the 59-yearold Aussie’s career as he developed more empathy.
He added in his new book My Life And Rugby: “That softening actually benefited my coaching because I was much more sensitive to younger players after that.”
EDDIE Jones is one tough cookie.
That he took pushy parenting to the next level isn’t a surprise.
But the committed England rugby coach is strong enough to admit his mistakes. Forcing his young daughter to keep playing tennis on a hot day is extreme. There’s a line when it comes to pushing our kids to be the best they can be. And he crossed it.
It was a struggle for him to leave his taskmaster persona on the training pitch.
But he learnt to take a softer approach when needed. And became a better coach – and dad – for it.
Eddie is the boss when it comes to getting the best out of his teams.
It’s that kind of intensity that took England to the World Cup final.
We hope he continues to focus his considerable drive on the squad. The boys might even go one better next time and win the thing.
With a man like Eddie leading us, things look good for English rugby.