Eddie Jones has chip on shoulder: England’s Cipriani
It is nearly two years since Eddie Jones was sacked by England but former players continue to bash the Australian coach who led them to three Six Nations titles and the 2019 World Cup final.
Danny Cipriani is the latest, accusing Jones of an overly confrontational approach with “a chip on his shoulder” who is “always in a fight”.
The comments made by Cipriani, who won two caps under Jones and was left out of the squad for the 2019 World Cup, echo similar accusations by Danny Care, who described a toxic environment akin to a “dictatorship” in his recent autobiography.
Reflecting on his abridged international career under Jones, Cipriani said: “My experiences of Eddie are he probably felt that I would stand up to him too much and he didn’t feel like he could bully me, so he just didn’t bring me into the environment.
“I’m not here to bash Eddie, (but) as an individual he’s not somebody that I’d want to lead my country, because of the way he carries himself.
Cipriani, who had a spell with Melbourne Rebels, said: “That’s his experience of the world. I know he’s had a tough one and he’s got his chip on his shoulder and he leads with that everywhere he goes, and he’s always in a fight.
“I don’t think he’s happy with the way he’s behaving and the way he is. I think it’s all he knows how to do, so I also have compassion for him.”
Cipriani was widely credited with having saved Jones’ job in 2018 by setting up the try that secured a victory against South Africa in the final Test with the Springboks having already taken a 2-0 lead, in what was to be the last of his 16 appearances for England.
Cipriani added: “You can win games in rugby doing whatever you want to do, because we’ve got so many good players, but I don’t really judge you as a coach on that.
“It’s more how do you uplift a nation, how do you inspire players and get them play outside of themselves. When coaches do that then I’m listening.
“I found Eddie difficult in that sense, because I was turning water into wine one season and he didn’t even pick me, so it was mad.”
The 37-year-old Cipriani was speaking ahead of a charity match, his first outing in two years, blending the rugby codes to raise funds to research and support those living with Motor Neurone Disease.
Sunday’s match at Headingley was contrived by the late Rob Burrow and Cipriani’s former England team-mate Ed Slater, who was diagnosed in 2022. It is dubbed the ‘745 Game’ in honour of the shirt numbers worn by Burrow, Slater and Scotland union great Doddie Weir, and will be played under a series of unique cross-code rules.
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