Eddie Jones reveals 'comment' that cost him the Lions job for 2021
Rugby NewsMonday, 18 November 2019 at 11:39
England coach Eddie Jones believes that a couple of tongue-in-cheek comments cost him the chance to coach the British & Irish Lions in 2021.
In his autobiography,
Eddie Jones – My Life and Rugby, Jones reveals that he had a desire to take charge of the Lions during their tour to South Africa.
Jones revealed in the book that comments he made about the Irish and Welsh, intended to be comedic, may have harmed his chances, adding that he was not helped by an attempt to downplay the links between himself and the invitational side.
‘In my attempt to amuse the Japanese audience I referred to the “scummy Irish” and Wales as a “little s**t place”. I was embarrassed. Not only because the slurs weren’t funny but because they weren’t my real views. I was going for a cheap laugh. While it was clear in the video that I was smiling and joking, it looked bad. It was bad.
‘I have for a long time wanted to coach the British & Irish Lions. I still hope that, one day, I might get the opportunity. Apart from telling Pemby (communications adviser David Pembroke), I’d kept it a secret that I had set my sights on the 2021 tour of South Africa. That will be one of the great tours in the history of world rugby.
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Jones adds that it was a case of bad judgement on his behalf and he is still not sure why he decided to make the comments.
‘Despite those comments, my genuine opinion is that it would be an honour and a privilege.’
LIST | Sir Ian McGeechan’s 10 best young players in the world
Former British and Irish Lions had coach and Telegraph Sport columnist Sir Ian McGeechan selects the 10 young players set to take the world by storm.
1. Marcus Smith, 21, England
"I have watched a lot of him. He never looks flustered on the ball, which is the hallmark of a great player and he has been in and around the England squad without yet being capped."
2. Jordan Joseph, 19, France
"A powerful runner with good hands and a skilful offload game."
3. Caelan Doris, 22, Ireland
"Another one off the Leinster independent schools production line (Blackrock College) and one of the standout No 8s in this season's Champions Cup."
4. Joe Simmonds, 23, England
"His kicking is incredibly accurate – there was a stage before Christmas when he was 26/26 in all competitions."
5. Louis Rees-Zammit, 19, Wales
"You cannot put a price on outright pace. Rees-Zammit has it in abundance, and, combined with his finishing ability, you begin to understand why the hype surrounding him has been so intense."
6. Cameron Redpath, 20, England/Scotland
"I know his father well, so I have followed Cameron's career fairly closely. I like what I see. Tall, rangy, more of a centre than a 10."
7. Jamie Dobie, 18, Scotland
"I have not seen a huge amount of Dobie, but I hear good things. He went straight from school into a full-time contract, which is quite rare."
8. James Grayson, 21, England
"Another chip off the old block. Paul Grayson, his father, was one of my favourite players to coach – just a very clever, tactical player."
9. Luke Jacobson, 23, New Zealand
"Jacobson is an all-rounder who captained the Junior All Blacks to victory at the World Rugby Under-20 Championship in 2017 - a powerful ball-carrier and support player with a real presence on the field."
10. Jordan Petaia, 20, Australia
"He is very highly rated in Australia, but injury is slowing his match progress at present."
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- Jordie Barrett over Damian de Allende is far from being correct. The hype around Dupont is also overreaching, he's probably 4th in the world and has been since the 2023 WC. He also avoids certain matchups which is strange. The rest of the list is pretty good apart from minor subjective biases.JasonMarlow16-09-2026
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