Sir Clive Woodward believes Eddie Jones should be sacked as England boss if they lose their 2023 Six Nations opener against Scotland.
The World Cup-winning boss believes it’s not enough for the Rugby Football Union’s review panel just to ‘discuss’ the autumn campaign following just one win in four.
“As England coach you need to care very much what people think,” wrote Woodward in his column for the Mail Online.
“The RFU have to start getting tough on Jones, but Sweeney will not stand up to him. He doesn’t have the rugby knowledge to question his decisions.
“Jones needs to feel some serious heat from his employers. I would say to him: ‘Forget the next World Cup, if you lose your next game against Scotland in the Six Nations you’re out of your job.’ If Jones has to get paid off and we need to raise the money for that to happen, then so be it.”
You can read his full column for the Mail Online by clicking here.
Hire a Director of Rugby
Woodward wrote: “The RFU have to appoint a director of rugby as soon as possible.
“Sweeney is a fan when it comes to rugby and no more than that. He likes to be seen with Jones and the team. Like many a chief executive I’ve seen in sport, he has fallen into the trap of getting involved in the sexy end of the business.
“Sweeney isn’t qualified to be analysing Jones’s rugby performance and, based on recent history, he isn’t qualified to organise a panel of experts to review the team’s performance, either.”
Next England boss
Woodward previously wrote: “I’m sure they will be looking at Andy Farrell. I’m equally sure Ireland will want to keep him.”
Telegraph brutally ranked England’s FIVE worst players this Autumn
With the World Cup little under a year away, Telegraph Sport have taken a look at who underperformed during the 2022 Autumn Nations Series.
Their top performers included fullback Freddie Steward, Ellis Genge and Joe Cokansiga.
But who struggled? Take a look at who The Telegraph rated as Eddie Jones poorest performers.
#5. Joe Heyes
- Age: 23
- Position: Tighthead-prop
- Club: Leicester Tigers
- Caps: 7
Having impressed in Australia, this autumn was a step backwards for Heyes because it seemed as though Jones was reluctant to trust him.
RUCK’s rating: 5.5/10
RUCK rating explained: What we’ve done is taken every England players ‘rating’ from each game this month and averaged their score with powerhouse Joe Cokanasiga coming out on top.