Eddie Jones has been England’s head coach since 2016, and he will continue to lead them until at least 2020. The RFU Board of Directors have seen progress under his leadership despite the team not winning a Test match for two years. Sweeney says it is ‘disappointing’ that England are still yet to beat Ireland in any game played this year.
Eddie Jones, the RFU boss Bill Sweeney is disappointed but sees progress under England head coach Eddie Jones. Read more in detail here: eddie jones.
Eddie Jones’ contract as England’s head coach expires after the 2023 World Cup.
Bill Sweeney, the chief executive of the Rugby Football Union, says he was “very disappointed” with England’s Six Nations performance but still supports head coach Eddie Jones.
Jones has faced demands to quit, but Sweeney believes he is the “perfect person” to lead England to the 2023 World Cup.
After the loss against France, Sweeney said that the RFU could have been more “up front.”
For the second year in a row, England won just two games in the Six Nations, finishing third mainly to favorable results elsewhere.
Sweeney told Sport that the RFU’s early reaction to England’s dismal Six Nations performance might have been better if it had recognized “fan dissatisfaction.”
“We might have responded, ‘We are terribly disappointed, and we know you are too.’”
“We are all, as an organization and as individuals, tremendously dissatisfied with what transpired this year in the Six Nations,” Sweeney told reporters on Thursday.
“You would expect more from England, and we expect more from ourselves in terms of outcomes and performances. Our emotions have been at an all-time high. It’s still a little raw.”
Jones has “whole faith in the guys.”
In their five games in the competition, England scored just eight tries, compared to 12 in 2021.
Following Saturday’s 25-13 loss by Grand Slam winners France, the RFU endorsed Jones, claiming that he is “creating a new England squad” with the likes of Marcus Smith, Freddie Steward, and Harry Randall coming through.
On Radio 5 Live’s Rugby Union Weekly, Monye slammed the governing body’s statement, while Sweeney said: “Winning two this year compared to winning two last year is not improvement, and that’s a reasonable critique.”
“However, in terms of how we feel the team is improving and maturing in relation to where we want to go, we believe we’re on the right track, so we were OK with that comment.”
Jones has “the players’ entire confidence and dedication, and we feel he’s the best man to lead us through,” Sweeney said.
Sweeney stated, “We’ll continue to evaluate as we go through.”
“Have we got the correct setup?” Do we have the correct structure in place? Are we going to make progress or are we delusory?
“Every time we’ve had that talk, we’ve come out saying, ‘no, we believe we’re on the correct track as we transition and rebuild this squad.’”
‘We are not focusing on the World Cup at the expense of the Six Nations.’
Jones was also chastised for claiming that England’s Six Nations defeats were a valuable learning experience for younger players as they prepare for the World Cup.
This attitude, according to former British and Irish Lions captain Sam Warburton, is “disrespectful” to the Six Nations.
“I would dispute it 100 percent,” Sweeney said when asked whether England was focused too much on the future.
“The Six Nations is the world’s greatest rugby competition.” We were both determined to win, as were the players.
“It just so happens that they’re on their way to the World Cup, but we’re not thinking about the World Cup at the expense of the Six Nations.”
