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Neil Back

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Joined March 2015

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If you take Johnson’s tenure, and map that same time period over those of the last of Jones, the win/loss is remarkably similar. That’s how bad things had become. And remember, Jones produced that with years of absolute control before serving it up, a head start Johnson did not have – nor did he have previous experience of managing even a pro club team! Now that is astonishing.

It’s not me that’s spinning here my friend.

Rugby’s Mourinho: Why Australian rugby desperately needs Eddie Jones

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Rugby
 
2w

Blimey, were you literally poised waiting for this result?!

Nope, of course this one’s not all on Eddie. It’s equally on the RFU who waited at least a year too long to chuck a hot potato to a man not best suited to deal with.

And as I tried (and seemingly failed) to explain to you above, no coach walks into a dressing room and peels of a GS in his very first 6 games unless something pretty exceptional already existed. As further evidence, you’re seeing exactly the same pinciple play out here. No coach walks into a dressing room and peels off such miserable first up performances unless something pretty miserable already existed.

We can it seems agree on one point – the RFU are, and have been, dysfunctional for quite some time.

Rugby’s Mourinho: Why Australian rugby desperately needs Eddie Jones

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Rugby
 
2w

Hey JD, sorry but haven’t been on for a while and just saw your question.

Nicely written and constructed piece and a lot I recognise and agree with. Impossible to capture all the vagaries of Eddie’s reign and correlate them accurately to England’s increasingly obvious decline in the back half of his tenure. Not least because he’s a man full of contradiction (confusion springs to mind as a synonym) – and in many ways his later sides and selections, and their subsequent performances, mirrored that.

However, and your article touches on this, the bigger culprit in the room is the RFU. The disastrously manged tenure of Jones is just one symptom of their dysfunction, as is the hot potato they chucked to Borthwick, who gives every impression of a man who didn’t realise he needed oven gloves.

Rugby’s Mourinho: Why Australian rugby desperately needs Eddie Jones

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Rugby
 
2w

The Slam is often put out there by those advocating for Eddie. But it really only demonstrates my position. Not even a ‘Very Special One’ walks into a dressing room and churns out a GS in his first five games in charge without something pretty special being in place already. Just think about it for a second. It’s obvious.

And I can’t let you away with ‘very effective for 3 seasons’. It was exactly at the start of his third term that he delivered the worst-ever 6N campaign (first of two). The rot was already showing.

Rugby’s Mourinho: Why Australian rugby desperately needs Eddie Jones

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Rugby
 
2w

Not really Mr Evans. Woodward built to a cresendo over his tenure, which is what you’d hope and expect to see. After more than three years of absolute control, Eddie took things in the opposite direction, despite having the added advantage of 9 out of 13 U20 RWC fianalist teams at his disposal.

Unfortunately Eddie’s legacy will take a long time to fix. As decent a bloke as Steve Borthwick is, I doubt he’s the guy to fix things any time soon.

Rugby’s Mourinho: Why Australian rugby desperately needs Eddie Jones

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Rugby
 
2w

Not even close. It wasn’t a single poor home tournament. It was years of mad results, including the two worst ever home nations tournaments and a schizophrenic RWC tilt. Unfortunately the misadministration kept their patience for at least a year too long.

Rugby’s Mourinho: Why Australian rugby desperately needs Eddie Jones

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Rugby
 
2w

Yep, Lancaster had a horror home tournament and people still underestimate the effect the RFU riding roughshod and mishandling of Burgess Gate had on the dressing room. But it doesn’t change the fact he handed over a very good group of players and pathways.

And no, Lancaster doesn’t get the credit for Jones’ run. Eddie put belief back into the group and the quality of that group took over. But to repeat, once Eddie had several years in complete control and started his own shaping, it produced even worse results.

Rugby’s Mourinho: Why Australian rugby desperately needs Eddie Jones

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Rugby
 
2w

“The English bayed for Eddie’s blood too, of course, notwithstanding the fact his record was the best of any of their coaches at any time – 73 per cent (won 59 of 81 Tests). ”

Godda love stats. His start of 18 on the bounce was using Lancaster’s squad and pipeline. Once he started spinning his own ‘special one’ magic, his win percentage looked very simiar to a certain England captain’s troubled tenure, who hadn’t even managed a club side previously, and in the process produced the two most catastrophic home nations tournaments ever.

Rugby’s Mourinho: Why Australian rugby desperately needs Eddie Jones

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Rugby
 
2w

It’s really obvious if you give it a second’s thought.

He walked into a very good, ready made squad of players, with a ready made funnel of pathway players already identified by his predecessor, who was previously responsible for those pathways. Yes he put some belief back into that group, and eeked out an 18 game unbeaten run. But it wasn’t close to being of his making.

Once he starting applying his own hand, constantly burning through backroom staff and tweaking with failed experiments, he took England to new depths, culminating with the two worst ever home nations tournaments, and producing truly schizophrenic performances in between.

It’s also worth noting that throughout his tenure he also had an U20 group who had appeared in 9 of the 13 U20 RWC finals to date. Only NZ have won more. He was never short of talent or cash and he was given the absolute control he insisted upon.

His is a legacy that will take England years to recover from. He did the exact opposite of what he was hired to do, and declared he would do.

Leave Eddie alone - at least until after the World Cup

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2w

“… many will forget that he took England to their first Grand Slam in 13 years after only two months on the job.”

Still amazes me that people still don’t get the obvious real truth of a statement like that, and in the process ignore the track of his 5-year disintegration of the English national side.

Leave Eddie alone - at least until after the World Cup

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Rugby
 
2w

As observed elsewhere Wally, perhaps the only thing truly world class in English rugby currently is their go to tribunal guy Richard Smith KC. Adam Casselden SC was possibly outclassed ….

'Disgusting circus': Andy Farrell slams treatment of Owen as World Rugby appeals against England star's reprieve

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Rugby
 
2w

Like I said ….

'Mockery', 'broken game', 'laughing stock': Rugby rages as red card reversal clears Owen Farrell for World Cup

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Rugby
 
3w

If you don’t understand or accept 10s often get special treatment and are more open and vulnerable to borderline late shots, I can’t see any point in discussing things rugby with you.

'Mockery', 'broken game', 'laughing stock': Rugby rages as red card reversal clears Owen Farrell for World Cup

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Rugby
 
3w

Already said it, red. But can understand how it got mitigated, even though I don’t agree with it.

'Mockery', 'broken game', 'laughing stock': Rugby rages as red card reversal clears Owen Farrell for World Cup

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Rugby
 
3w

To be fair, particularly as a targeted 10, he’s taken his fair share of launched forwards to open ribs, and pretty much always bounced back up without complaint. I wouldn’t be calling him a coward.

'Mockery', 'broken game', 'laughing stock': Rugby rages as red card reversal clears Owen Farrell for World Cup

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Rugby
 
3w

To be a pedant, they’re laws, not rules. And the laws are exactly the same for everyone. However, they are enforced and judged by humans, and they are definitely not all the same.

'Mockery', 'broken game', 'laughing stock': Rugby rages as red card reversal clears Owen Farrell for World Cup

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Rugby
 
3w

Sure. Maybe all the tier one countries could do that.

'Mockery', 'broken game', 'laughing stock': Rugby rages as red card reversal clears Owen Farrell for World Cup

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Rugby
 
3w

There’s no ‘prosecution’ as such, there’s a review panel that acts more in the capacity of a judge assessing evidence to determine sanction, in this case three Aussies (World Rugby will typically appoint a panel consisting of nationalities neutral to any immediate games). There is a ‘defence’ in that the RFU engaged Richard Smith, a highly skilled barrister with experience in this field, to lead their arguments.

The panel, in this case, comprised two ex-players and a legal mind who also has experience in sports tribunals – but fair to say, the RFU’s legal representative in this instance is far more experienced. However, World Rugby obviously has the option to appoint whatever skills they like to the panel, and as I understand it, can still appeal against their own panel’s decision.

'Mockery', 'broken game', 'laughing stock': Rugby rages as red card reversal clears Owen Farrell for World Cup

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Rugby
 
3w

Stick it on VLC player, isolate the various replay segments and angles using the A and B facility, and use the frame by frame playback facility – which is probably pretty much what the panel would have been presented with. JG does knock TB off balance and he is starting to fall downwards to his right.

May well be all tenuous stuff, but easy to see where some of the mitigation arguments come from.

For the record, I also think it’s a bad look for rugby generally there is no ban. I’m also disapointed at the prospect we may not see George Ford starting against Ireland, because something fundamental needs to change in England’s game, and that might be a start.

'Mockery', 'broken game', 'laughing stock': Rugby rages as red card reversal clears Owen Farrell for World Cup

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Rugby
 
3w

Worse than that. Dick Smith was leading the defence …..

'Mockery', 'broken game', 'laughing stock': Rugby rages as red card reversal clears Owen Farrell for World Cup

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Rugby
 
3w

Nope, smells more like whoever can fund the best legal defence. It’s an age old story in every walk of life.

'Mockery', 'broken game', 'laughing stock': Rugby rages as red card reversal clears Owen Farrell for World Cup

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Rugby
 
3w

Sadly, potentially a lot of truth in this. I think a lot of fans are still unaware of the legal mess the game we all love is inexorably walking towards, and the likely consequences for it.

'Mockery', 'broken game', 'laughing stock': Rugby rages as red card reversal clears Owen Farrell for World Cup

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Rugby
 
3w

Mate, please stop the RFU conspiracy nonsense of your closing sentences. It’s really tiresome and unhelpful. The RFU simply funded the best legal defence it could find to argue World Rugby’s rules. It’s the same option open to many union bodies with sufficient funds and motivation, including yours.

'Mockery', 'broken game', 'laughing stock': Rugby rages as red card reversal clears Owen Farrell for World Cup

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Rugby
 
3w

From there, it’s all about:

1. momentum
2. injuries
3. the officials (sadly)

Um, and:
4. the opposition

Sometimes they’re just better than you and beat you. Can happen.

WILL GENIA: Why Eddie had to choose between Nic and Quade, moment I felt Hoops was done, hardest done by duo

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Rugby
 
3w

Because I was calling out the dull xenophobia of the group he clearly belongs to. Without checking I’ll bet the most liked comments after his will be the same. You can always bet on the lowest common denominator to be among the first to chirp up, and among the most liked in the playground.

Hope that helps.

UK View: 'The moral victory is real' - Poms revel in Pat's 'failure', downfall of 'dastardly' and 'scared' Aussies

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Cricket
 
Jul
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