As Eddie Jones neared the end of his tenure as England boss, he notably blacklisted Ollie Lawrence, singling out the centre in one of his many published works.
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In his 2021 release, “Leadership,” Jones openly expressed his dissatisfaction with Lawrence’s performance both on and off the field, emphasising the youngster’s lack of hunger and discipline.
The Aussie wrote: “He’s [Lawrence] still a kid, only 21, but the way that some of the media raves about him you would think he’s already assured of becoming one of the best players in the world.
“He might do that, one day, but his attitude was not hungry or disciplined enough.”
However, Lawrence silenced his critics with standout showings against Ireland and France during the 2024 Six Nations tournament. Addressing the media, Lawrence acknowledged Jones’ remarks and expressed his determination to prove his former boss wrong.
“I’ve grown up a lot. I’ve had to mature. It’s been a whirlwind over the last six months but I have no regrets so far. Sometimes these things need to happen for you to go into a different position.
“My job is to be physical both sides of the ball and support the other players around me and that is what I tried to do – get us over the gainline and get quick ball.
“I wanted to get back to playing like how I used to and enjoying it again. I lost the enjoyment a bit because of the injury. When I enjoy my rugby, I usually play well off the back of it.”
Eddie Jones ranks his worst England call-ups
As we delve into some of the individuals Eddie Jones brought into the squad since December 2015, we aim to comprehend, in his own words, why they couldn’t solidify their positions in the hearts of fans as once anticipated.
#5. Denny Solomona
His England career began with the definition of a ‘bang’ – a dream first run out in the England shirt, he came off the bench to score a last-minute winner in a dramatic 38-34 win against Argentina in San Juan on June 10, 2017.
Jones said: “There’s something about him, he finds the [try] line and you like wingers who find the line. I think he’s got that X factor, whatever you want to call it.”
However, two months later, Solomona was sent home from England’s training camp in disgrace after returning drunk to the team hotel. The winger would win just three more caps, failing to score in any of them with Jones questioning the speedster’s character. Not what we all expected after a stunning debut.
RUCK VERDICT: He has vowed to put his off-field problems behind him. His Premiership form before lockdown earned him some admirers – time for an international recall? You never know.
