Sacked England coach Eddie Jones says he ‘wouldn’t do anything differently’

A Grand Slam, Six Nations title and a World Cup final appearance were among Jones’ successes

(Mike Egerton/PA) (PA Wire)

Former England rugby coach Eddie Jones said he “wouldn’t do anything differently” despite being sacked earlier this month.

It was England’s form in 2022, their worst in terms of results in 14 years, that saw Jones dismissed earlier than expected by the Rugby Football Union (RFU) after an anonymous panel of experts had reviewed the underwhelming Autumn Nations series.

However in an interview with BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, the 62-year-old Australian said he still believes England were “on the right track” prior to his departure.

“I wouldn’t do anything differently,” Jones said. “I was quite confident that we were on the right track, leading up to the World Cup. And I still have that belief. But if others don’t share that, then that’s their decision.”

Jones was dismissed by the RFU on December 6 and replaced with his former assistant Steve Borthwick.

“I could feel the change in the wind,” Jones added. “You know, when you’ve been coaching for a while you feel when your support is starting to wane.”

Jones left the role with the highest win record of any England coach on 73 per cent, but that number drops to 42 per cent in a dismal 2022 that consisted of six defeats, one draw and five wins.

A Grand Slam, Six Nations title and a World Cup final appearance were among Jones’ early successes, but post-Japan 2019 his win percentage dropped to 65.

Despite this, Jones – who has been linked with a coaching role with Australia – said he felt like he still had “one more job in me”, adding: “I want to add to the game. I love the game, I love coaching.”