“It says a lot about his character to be honest. It’s comical. I still can’t believe it.
Sonny Bill Williams, a two-time Rugby World Cup-winning All Black, found Eddie Jones' reaction to being associated with the Japan job during the Rugby World Cup rather amusing.
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Williams went on to question the 63-year-old's "character" based on this response.
“Obviously, he had that meeting,” Williams told The Sydney Morning Herald.
“I saw straight though his antics and his big-talking. This is a bloke who has a track record of burning bridges.
“The things that he’s done… if he was a player, you wouldn’t stand for it. It’s quite nice that they are being held accountable, just like players are.”
ALUN WYN JONES: TOUGHEST OPPONENT
#1. Paul O'Connell
Born October 20, 1979, Limerick
Major teams British and Irish Lions, Munster, Ireland
Caps 115
Position Lock
The Irish second row was certainly blessed with special rugby powers having been one of the world’s leading tight forwards for more than a decade. A three-times Lions who captained the tour of South Africa in 2009.
Alun Wyn Jones said: "We got to know each other very well as team-mates with the Lions and opponents for our clubs and countries. You cannot shy away from how effective the guy was in his position.”
Did you know? O'Connell initially excelled at swimming and only started playing rugby at the age of 16
Source: The Rugby Paper
#2. Bakkies Botha
Born September 22, 1979, Newcastle, Natal
Major teams Barbarians, Blue Bulls, Bulls, South Africa A, Toulon, South Africa
Position Lock
The second row enforcer in South Africa’s World Cup winning team of 2007, this was a man you didn’t mess around with. Rounded off his career with three European Cup wins with Toulon.
Jones said: "He revelled in it didn't he. Physically he has to be up there. Let's just say he was able to keep the tradition going of the hardest of South African second rows."
Did you know? Botha is the only player in the history of rugby union to date to have won a hat trick of Super Rugby and European rugby titles
Source: Youtube
#3. Maro Itoje
In the 2017 Lions tour, we witnessed a remarkable camaraderie develop between Maro Itoje, the superstar from England, and Alun Wyn Jones, the legendary Welsh captain.
Following the second Lions test against New Zealand, where Maro Itoje displayed exceptional performance, even the esteemed Welsh captain couldn't resist praising the young Saracens lock.
Post-game, AWJ joined in chanting "Oh Maro Itoje," a popular chant that had gained momentum during the tour, celebrating the outstanding talent and bond that had grown between the two players.
#4. Justin Harrison
Born April 20, 1974, Sydney, NSW
Major teams Australia A, Barbarians, Bath Rugby, Brumbies, New South Wales Waratahs, Ulster, Australia
Caps 34
Position Lock
Harrison, who has a fierce feud with former England international Austin Healey, was almost better known for his larger than life personality than his rugby. A veteran of the 2003 Rugby World Cup, he spent the later years of his career with Ulster and Bath.
Jones said: "Away from the physical side, banter-wise it would have to be Aussie lock Justin Harrison. He was interesting to play against to say the least."
Did you know? He is currently the head of the Australian Rugby Union Players Association (RUPA)
Source:Youtube
Quiz! Can you name the 20 most-capped men’s England players?
Several of these individuals have participated, or are presently participating, in the contemporary era of rugby.
Can you identify how many of the top 20 most-capped England rugby players you can name?
We've supplied the total number of caps and their respective playing positions for each player. Your task is simply to complete their surnames.
You have a 5-minute window to attempt to guess all 20 players.
