Jones hits back at claims of ‘grim’ coaching

Eddie Jones has railed against criticism of his intense training methods on the eve of the Six Nations, insisting his England players cannot relent if they are to fulfil his bullish aim of becoming “the greatest team that the game of rugby has ever seen”.

Jones has been attempting to rebuild his side’s confidence after their World Cup final defeat by South Africa, with Sam Underhill revealing psychologist Andrea Furst led the team’s debrief this week.

And Jones has also been forced to defend his methods after Danny Care and Chris Ashton, co-hosts of BBC Radio 5 Live’s Rugby Union Weekly podcast, suggested younger members of Jones’s 34-man squad might struggle at England’s pre-tournament training camp in Portugal. “There’s a strong possibility that a few might break down,” said Care, who won the last of his 84 England caps in 2018. “It’s not easy. Some lads crawl off that pitch.” Care and Ashton also revealed that when they roomed together on a previous trip to Portugal they were too tired to talk to one another. Two days after the podcast was released, at the Six Nations media launch on Wednesday, Jones defended himself vehemently.

“I don’t think they find the camps grim and if they find them grim they don’t have to come,” he said. “Tell them not to come. Give me their names and they don’t have to bother coming.

“That’s a ridiculous statement. Test rugby’s hard. Have you seen how hard it is? Do you think we stroll around the park and have a ham sandwich?”

England are working to resolve any lingering issues after their 32-12 hammering by South Africa in November. And Furst, who is now full-time at the Rugby Football Union having worked with them in the build-up to the World Cup, is leading their team review.

“We will work with Andrea to unpack anything that might be there,” Underhill said. “The aim is to be better and make sure it is not an issue.”

Meanwhile, Ben Spencer is set to become the first England player to leave Saracens as a result of the salary-cap scandal, with the scrum-half poised to join Bath on loan.

Test of endurance: Eddie Jones said players who found training too hard could stay away