In helping England’s coach write his autobiography Donald McRae has gained a unique insight into the uncompromising Australian
Three years ago Eddie Jones surprised me for the first of many times. We met to discuss how we would work together on a book which was still a shadowy idea in the autumn of 2016. In those strange early days of our collaboration I was still trying to figure out Jones. I had heard stories about his abrasive coaching style, which had apparently left a trail of players weeping and hiding under tables from Canberra to Tokyo. I had also heard his whiplash quips and spiky insights because, as England coach, Jones’s press conference highlights were never boring.
Jones arrived in England rugby with a bang on 1 December 2015. England were in chaos after being knocked out in the group stages of a World Cup they had just hosted. Jones, who had masterminded the game of the tournament by inspiring Japan to victory over South Africa, replaced Stuart Lancaster as head coach. He achieved his first goals in startling style. England won the 2016 Six Nations grand glam and all three Tests against the Wallabies in his native Australia – and every match of the 13 they played under Jones in his first year in charge.
Written by Donald McRae
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/sep/14/eddie-jones-england-world-cup-japan-2019-hard-road-preparation-everything under the title “‘Preparation is everything’: the real Eddie Jones’s hard road to Japan”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
