England coach Jones defends coaching methods, staff turnover
Nov 1 (Reuters) - England coach Eddie Jones said he has always tried to be a "reasonable person" amid criticism of his coaching methods and the high turnover rate of backroom staff.
A report in The Times https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/eddie-jones-blazing-rows-brutal-texts-and-airport-firings-why-its-so-hard-to-work-for-england-rugby-coach-mjjg2z9xz last week said a former England player described Jones as "brutal, rude, aggressive" while a former employee said the Australian's behaviour was "belittling".
Several backroom staff have quit the coaching team in recent years including John Mitchell, who had extended his contract until the 2023 World Cup earlier this year but left in July to join Premiership side Wasps after a fallout with Jones.
"These things happen, everyone has an opinion on how you operate. I can't say it's right or wrong, I try to be a reasonable person," Jones told BT Sport.
"I've coached for a fair period of time and there have probably been times when I haven't been as nice as I'd like to be. But I endeavour to be fair all the time and I'm excited where this team is going to go.
"Has there been a high turnover of staff? There's been certain areas where we've looked to refresh the staff. This is my sixth year in the job and you would expect that. We have got a very good staff and we appreciate their hard work."
England, who finished fifth at the Six Nations this year, are preparing for November internationals against Tonga at Twickenham Stadium on Saturday followed by Australia (Nov. 13) and South Africa (Nov. 20). (Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford )
