Eddie Jones has laid into his former employer, the England RFU, in defence of his successor Steve Borthwick after a terrible run to the World Cup for the Roses.
After the sacking of Jones last December, England Rugby finds itself in the doldrums under the stewardship of Borthwick.
With just two wins in this year’s Six Nations and a nightmarish August campaign marred by defeats, including a historic loss to Fiji, England’s World Cup prospects hang by a thread.
“They’re [England] not producing quality players,” Jones, now back in charge of Australia for the second time, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
“Everyone looks at the head coach, and [says] ‘Let’s blame the head coach’. But the onus on producing quality players is on the RFU. And that hasn’t happened.
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“You’ve got to look at why you’re not bringing talent through. Then you’ve got to look at why your talent development systems are not doing that.
“The system’s not right. What needs to change? Where’s the gap? That’s the responsibility of the RFU.”
Jones, who is winless after five Tests with the Wallabies in 2023 and has selected one of the most inexperienced Australia squads for a World Cup, believes his former colleague Borthwick is in a tough spot with ‘an ageing’ England team.
“Anyone who knows anything about sport can see that,” he added.
“You’ve got new players coming in. Some of them have come through and done really well, like Freddie Steward. Others are still finding their feet, like Marcus Smith.”
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