Sir Clive Woodward has ripped into England 's rugby union bosses for not 'standing up' to head coach Eddie Jones. Jones has proven to be a controversial figure in recent times, often finding his name in headlines and is set to leave the England setup following the end of 2023.
The future surrounding the Australian is often a dominant topic when it comes to discussions surrounding the England team. Jones' latest link has been to take over the United States on an eight-year contract when his tenure comes to an end.
Legendary coach Woodward however has revealed he is 'bored' by the circus surrounding Jones and his ventures after England, and believes the Rugby Football Union needs to do more, accusing CEO Bill Sweeney and Director of Performance Conor O'Shea of being 'out of their depth'.
Writing for the Daily Mail, Woodward said: "Talk over the coach's future does not help any team. I don't know where the USA story came from, but the RFU should not be allowing it to come out in the week of a big Test.
"It is the latest example which shows why Bill Sweeney and Conor O'Shea are totally out of their depth at the governing body. They do not stand up to Jones. They nod when he tells them to nod. He does what he wants. Frankly, Jones has both Sweeney and O'Shea in his pocket."
The 2003 World Cup winning coach was quick to point out that the media attention around Jones' future is causing a distraction in the England dressing room. Talking from his own experiences, Woodward believes such distractions always have a negative effect on performance on the pitch.
"Keeping possible distractions to a minimum is a key coaching skill," he added. These distractions are just magnified if they involve the head coach. England allowed themselves to get distracted by external factors after beating New Zealand in the semi-finals of the last World Cup.
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"The result was they lost the final to South Africa, who were by far the better team. Distractions and a loss of focus can kill any team and did that day." Calling for the Jones' replacement to be kept out of the media, the ex-player added: "At the top, top level, all these little things add up. Which is why as a head coach you want to minimise and eradicate all of them if possible. The coach's future should be kept out of the media."
Woodward warned England need to beat South Africa but admits the Springboks will not be fazed by the challenge when they come up against the Red Rose.
