Eddie Jones tries to clarify Emma Raducanu comments

Planet Rugby

England head coach Eddie Jones has written to tennis star Emma Raducanu in an attempt to explain his comments which appeared to criticise the US Open champion.

Jones stated that she had been overburdened by distractions following her Grand Slam triumph, suggesting that Red Rose youngster Marcus Smith should not fall into the same trap.

The England boss has received heavy criticism for the remarks where he said: “There’s a reason why the young girl who won the US Open hasn’t done so well afterwards.

“What have you seen her on – the front page of Vogue and Harper Bazaar or whatever it is, wearing Christian Dior clothes. All that is a distraction around her.”

Deemed sexist

Jones’ language was deemed sexist by some, including former British number one Jo Durie, and while he rejects that allegation, he has contacted the 18-year-old to clarify what he meant.

“It’s not for me to judge that. The comments weren’t made in that spirit at all,” Jones said on Thursday.

“We’ve sent a private letter to Emma to make sure she understands why they were made. As far as I’m concerned it’s the end of the matter.

“The point was that it’s very difficult for young players in the UK and I made that point for a reason – because I think it is.

“We’ve got a really good group of young players coming through in England and I want to make sure we look after them as well as we can.

“The average number of caps for an England player over history is seven. So many good young players come in and get swept away by the distractions.

“We don’t want them to be distracted and that was the only purpose of that comment.”

Smith has the opportunity to continue his own meteoric rise after being promoted to the starting XV for Saturday’s Autumn Nations Series clash with Australia.

It will be the first time he has played alongside Owen Farrell, the inside centre who returns after sitting out the Tonga rout because of a false-positive Covid test, and the biggest challenge of his young career awaits.

Smith’s three caps have been won against the USA, Canada and Tonga and Jones insists the Wallabies present a significant hurdle in his development from rising star to genuine Test fly-half.

“It’s big. We’re playing against the side that’s recently beaten world champions South Africa twice,” said Jones, who has picked Manu Tuilagi on the right wing to accommodate the Smith-Farrell axis.

“It’s a huge step but is he capable of doing it? Of course he is. He’ll rise to the challenge and handle it well, but it’s a big step for him.

“We believe Marcus and Owen are going to be a really good combination – not just for this game but in the future.”

Jones has masterminded seven wins from as many outings against Australia as England boss, but he understands what the fixture means to the nation of his birth.

“This is the game they want win. We have bit of an inferiority complex against the English, the Australians,” Jones said.

“We have always looked at England as the mother country. Our country started as convicts being sent down there so we have always looked up to England.

“I remember as a kid we would stand around for the anthem and it was God Save the Queen.

“We were the smaller country of England so when we played them in sport it was an opportunity to prove we were not the smaller country.”

Sale Sharks a ‘strong runner’ to capture George Ford

Sale Sharks have revealed they are a “strong runner” in the race to sign George Ford in what would be a major switch involving the fly-half.

Ford, who was on Thursday given the league’s Player of the Month gong, has responded to his England snub superbly well as he leads Leicester’s winning run.

But Sharks director of rugby Alex Sanderson has confirmed that they are keen on Ford, who is out of contract at Welford Road at the end of the 2021/22 campaign.

“We can only put our best case forward and let the chips fall where they lay but I think we’re a club with aspirations, with investment and with good people involved. I think we’re a strong runner,” Sanderson said.

“I’ve had a conversation with George and I thought it went well. I like the lad, I love what he’s about. He’s still very ambitious and is a family man so shows a lot of traits that will ally themselves very well here.”

 

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England squad reaction

Planet Rugby features writer James While reacts to England's team to face Australia.