I felt like I was to blame for Eddie getting the sack. The stress of it put me in hospital
Former Scotland cap MATT PROUDFOOT on the pain of losing his job with England
GAZING towards Table Mountain from his balcony, Matt Proudfoot lets the sun settle upon his face before he reflects on the turbulent end to his England career. With his home in Cape Town let to long-term tenants, he is staying at a friend’s B&B in Little Bay, or Kleinbaai as it is known to Afrikaners.
‘It’s beautiful,’ says the recentlyreleased forwards coach. ‘Hot. Really hot. It’s 34C today. I’m coming to England for four or five days at the end of the month to sort out my apartment, sort out some legalities with the RFU. I’ll put most of my stuff in storage because I’ll come back to the UK eventually.’
A stone’s throw from the white-sand beaches, Proudfoot has turned to surfing as a way to unwind after recent events. The stress around Eddie Jones’ sacking last month — and the redundancies that followed — hit him hard. Proudfoot was admitted to hospital in Roehampton due to stress and was not discharged until three days later.
‘I was shattered,’ recalls the former Glasgow Warriors player, who earned four Scotland caps between 1998 and 2003. ‘Finding out about Eddie really hit me hard. It was a phone call from Richard Cockerill. I felt like I’d let him down. I spoke to him on the day he left and I could tell he was upset. He told me there would probably be changes so have your wits about you.
‘As much as you try and handle these things, it has an effect on you. The stress leading up to the South Africa game, living away from home, alone in London, it’s a tough place to be.
‘Eddie left on the Tuesday and on the Thursday I had an immune overload. Fever, joint pain, stiffness; you feel like you’re being poisoned. It was a stress response. It built up until I crashed.
‘I phoned the team doctor at 3am and he sent for an ambulance to come and fetch me. I spent a couple of days in hospital. Eddie always used to say to me that the game gives you feedback and maybe this was it.’
By the end of the week, with Steve Borthwick immediately taking over, Proudfoot had been told he was surplus to requirements. Jones’ prediction was right. Time was up for the forwards coach.
‘Once Eddie had gone you basically have a feeling,’ says the 50-year-old. ‘The environment is different. I got a phone call on the Sunday evening and I knew what it was about. It was very professionally done from a HR perspective.
‘At the end of the day, being a foreign coach in another country is a massive responsibility and a massive honour. You want to add value and if you don’t, then you must get out of there. I was prepared for it.
‘Coaching another country is like being a guest in another person’s home. It’s not your own. The way you behave is different. If you don’t handle it with care, then you get out the door.
‘That’s professional sport. We see it in football every day. Anyone who thinks rugby is different must be stupid.
‘Our job is to perform and entertain the crowds. If we’re not winning, then questions must be asked. Steve wants to move the team in a certain direction and fair do’s to him. Every coach has that right and has to be given the opportunity to work with people he feels can make the team successful. I wish Steve all the best.’
Once the wounds have healed, Proudfoot wants to return to Twickenham as a supporter. He formed close bonds with the players, particularly in the front-row, and believes Borthwick has inherited a squad with the potential to win the World Cup — bad news, of course, for his former nation, who take on England in the Six Nations opener at Twickenham a week on Saturday.
‘If you look at sport, the minute a new coach is appointed there’s always a spike in intensity from the players,’ says Proudfoot. ‘There will be a big momentum shift and then it’s about how to prolong that into the World Cup. I think they will definitely be in the semi-final of the World Cup and then it’s down to small margins.
‘Steve’s experience with set-pieces will be crucial as a head coach. Leicester had a powerful set-piece and it will be an absolute non-negotiable. It will be very good for England.’
Coaching another country is like being a guest in another person’s home. It’s not your own