Sir Clive Woodward has called for Eddie Jones to lose his job should England suffer defeat in their next match against Scotland next February. This past week marked one of the lowest points in not just the 62-year-old’s tenure but the team’s recent history. They lost 27-13 to the reigning world champions South Africa who were missing their best European players at Twickenham on Saturday.
The dismal defeat occurred despite South Africa's Thomas du Toit being red carded with 20 minutes left to play. It brought an end to a woeful Autumn Nations Series campaign, in which England won just one match against Japan. This prompted Woodward, who led England to World Cup glory in 2003, to question Jones' position at the helm. "England are not just losing, they are going backwards at an alarming rate of knots," he wrote in the Mail.
"As England coach you need to care very much what people think. The RFU have to start getting tough on Jones. He needs to feel some serious heat from his employers. I would say to him: 'Forget the next World Cup, if you lose your next game against Scotland in the Six Nations you're out of your job.' If Jones has to get paid off and we need to raise the money for that to happen, then so be it.”
Woodward called on the Rugby Football Union (RFU) to step in and make some changes to prevent England’s poor form from becoming a terminal decline. “This was the worst week in English rugby history,” he fumed. “The game in this country is a total shambles, and defeat to a South Africa side without nine of its best players showed it.
"I've never seen people booing at the final whistle at Twickenham before. It really, really hurts me to see and hear that. I hate it. But at the same time, it also reflects where England are at right now." The RFU has confirmed its review panel will hold a series of meetings over the next fortnight to discuss the Autumn Nations campaign and how improvements can be made ahead of the Six Nations. The panel has met before and after tournaments since 2019.
Woodward slated the RFU’s review panel and said full and thorough investigation needs to be conducted. He added: "Since 2019, when Jones' England failed to turn up in the World Cup final, this anonymous panel has conducted two utterly pointless reviews. The outcome of the review has to scare the living daylights out of Jones and the team."
Jones' future remans unclear amid reports he has held talks over taking the US job when his England contract expires after the World Cup in 2023. He is reportedly being lined up for an eight-year deal to lead the country to the tournament on home soil in 2031.
