News about Eddie Jones

Yesterday it was announced Travis Clayton - who has never played a competitive game of American football - had been snapped up by the Buffalo Bills in the seventh round of the NFL draft as an offensive lineman. It means Clayton, who last played rugby for eighth-tier Basingstoke RFC last year, will be the latest in a string of rugby league players to head across the Atlantic to break into the American football league.

The loss was partly due to $11.5 million being invested during a World Cup year, including an unapproved $2.6 million overspend on Eddie Jones' disastrous campaign in France. The results were revealed following RA's annual general meeting in Sydney on Monday. The 2023 year also included a $4.9 million reduction in revenue, largely due to lesser match-day revenue as a result of only being able to host two home Wallabies Tests in the World Cup year, compared with six in 2022.

LEWIS STEELE: Matt Bloomfield answered the question before it was even finished. Mail Sport sent Merricombe, a teenage boy who played 558 times as a one-club player and now as a boss, a simple question about his rise and thorn of a life in football. He interrupts, 'Easy, mate.' 'Wembley.' The 40-year-old Chairboys boss has been there, done that, and bought the t-shirt for winning at the national stadium, but he has also had grueling days under the arches. Bloomfield says, referring to a shoot-out loss in the 2015 League Two play-off final against Southend,'t the low point of my career.' 'Actually, it was the lowest I've ever felt in my entire life.'

Hooper has remained tight-lipped on Jones' decision, instead focusing on his long-awaited career as a sevens player, with the Paris Olympics team in mind. However, it has been a humbling experience for the former captain, who earned 125 Test caps for his country, with sevens stars describing themselves as "athletes first, rugby players second."

ALEX BYWATER: Jamie George was with the Red Roses hookers at their Pennyhill Park training base this week, assisting them with their throwing and line-out techniques. On Saturday, a crowd of nearly 20,000 is expected at Ashton Gate, as England looks to build on their 48-0 victory over Italy over Wales in round two of the Six Nations.

Danny Care isn't finished playing rugby, though he does have another season in him, maybe even two. But now that he has retired from Tests, it is time to pay tribute to this one-man antidote to modern-day sporting cynicism. The 37-year-old scrum-half, who gained 101 England caps over the course of almost 16 years, embodied precisely what people want from those who represent them. He just adored it. He was ardently committed to national service. He adored it. He was addicted to it. And if the door had been locked and bolted by Eddie Jones, he couldn't and wouldn't allow it to go. Well, he may not have minded being paid for his services, but that wasn't what it was all about for Care. He had a natural desire to serve for his country, but this did not diminish as time went. If anything, it was raised. He did not become a cynical figure who simply went through the motions, and that can happen in some instances. Once he had the added challenge of performing in front of his three young children, the hunger subsided and even increased.

ALEX BYWATER IN PARIS: Richard Cockerill has been used to being at the center of Six Nations 'Super Saturday,' but 24 hours after the 2024 Championship ended, he was lifting silverware for the first time as Georgia head coach after finding success on Rugby Europe's 'Super Sunday'. Former England assistant Cockerill's first season as Lelos head coach saw his team defeated Portugal 36-10 in Paris. This was their seventh straight Rugby Europe title. Georgia has been accustomed to dominated the tier below the Six Nations.

CHRIS FOY IN LYON: England lost Le Crunch yet again on Saturday night, but the country took another step toward finding a new identity on Saturday night. They were defeated but they look reborn. During a dramatic, three-try rise either side of halftime, Steve Borthwick's national team played as if the fiasco against Scotland had been an intricate hoax. Compared to the miserable evening in Edinburgh, rugby from a different planet. This is a ratchet. Fluent. Daring. We're linked. Relentless. Even after Thomas Ramos' late penalty inflicted a deja vu loss that had uncomfortably brought Jamie George and Co. back to their World Cup semi-final agony in South Africa, England supporters were cheered by what they had seen. They were overwhelmingly entangled by what the future holds, although it has been a long time since that was the case.

Tevita Pangai Jr. was mocked by Wayne Bennett as fans speculated if the NRL supercoach's former Broncos protege will join the Dolphins this season. In 2023, Pangai Jr. walked away from the Bulldogs and the NRL to pursue a career in boxing, but he has since changed his mind and signed with Souths Logan in Queensland. Though some fans are hoping for a return to the Brisbane Broncos, others have speculated that he will instead sign with the injury-plagued Dolphins.

Since John Mitchell named a 35-player squad for his first campaign as head coach, England's Women's Six Nations rivals can get even better. Mitchell has surpassed Simon Middleton as the man in charge of one of rugby's most important teams, not just in rugby but also world sport. The last five women's Six Nations titles have been trophies for England. However, New Zealander Mitchell, who served as an assistant to Eddie Jones' England men's team, wants to change the women's team's style of play so it is not reliant on a static set-piece.

SIR CLIVE WOODWARD: England's victory over Ireland at Twickenham was a major step in Steve Borthwick's and the team's progress. They were playing with purpose and passion. It's much simpler to be brutal on your team on the back of a win, and even more so if you've played so well. Borthwick will have to do this week if Ireland loses to France in Lyon, and that will mean little if Ireland loses to France.

Prince Harry has been chastised once more for his use of private jets, this time by rugby coach Eddie Jones. According to the Sun, the royal, 38, was mocked by the Australian rugby pro, who was attending a training session when he made the remarks. The Duke of Sussex was also attending the session, after which he was allowed to talk to the players as part of his former role as England's rugby patron. Eddie, who was England boss between 2015 and 2022 said: 'How's climate change going mate?how was Elton John 's jet?' This was in reference to Harry and his partner Meghan, 42, who flew to Nice in 2019 using the musician's personal jet. (Pictured L-R. Prince Harry and Eddie Jones in Twickeham; Prince Harry in Santa Barbara).

SIMON of Northern Ireland. All started over lunch at the Beyerskloof wine estate in Stellenbosch, South Africa. Andy Farrell, a native of Saracens, was on tour in Cape Town against the Stormers in 2009. As Farrell first received an invite from Brendan Venter, the former Springboks who will be replacing Eddie Jones as coach this summer, he was basking in the sun. 'Andy was at the end of his playing career at Saracens,' according to Venter.' 'The money men - Nigel Wray, Edward Griffiths - were saying to me, "It's not going to work with Andy as a player, could you use him as a coach?" 'I wasn't aware of Faz' I didn't know.' "Let me go for lunch with him and see," I was just starting at Saracens. We joined Colleen, his wife, to this stunning wine farm. Faz is a compassionate human being who treats others well. I was convinced after lunch. His leadership abilities were never going to be a problem when captained Great Britain in rugby league.'

Exclusive BY ALEX BYWATER: Zach Mercer, who has been oblivious by England head coach Steve Borthwick so far this season, is expected to continue his international exile this summer after agreeing to play for the Barbarians in June. After an impressive stint with Montpellier in French rugby, the No 8 Mercer returned to the Gallagher Premiership for the 2023-24 season. It had been predicted that the 26-year-old's return to England would coincide with a return to England service as he appeared in the TOP14 at a time when he was ineligible for Test play. Mercer, who is back to Borthwick, was not chosen for final England's World Cup squad or the new Six Nations squad last year.

England has lost four times in a row since 1896 after losing Edinburgh. To me, this is a big statistic and one that must make English rugby sit up and take note of the country's decline from grace. England should not be losing to anyone four years in a row. That's not to say that Scotland is not to be taken away from Scotland. England is now abundantly clear from recent reports between the two teams' findings that England is a long way behind Scotland.

Exclusive INTERVIEW BY CHRIS FOY: Ollie Lawrence is a writer who inspired him. He grew up playing and watching a variety of sports, so there were several of them. On Saturday, one could be with him or against him, and another could be opposite him. However, let's start with one that will not be near Murrayfield and the Six Nations. The Bath and England center, who is primed for a recall against Scotland after a hip injury, claims 'Michael Jordan was certainly my most athletic idol.' "I didn't watch much American sports as a child, but when the Last Dance came out, it opened my eyes to him as a character and everything he did in his career.' "It wasn't just his education, but the company's culture and his drive to be the best in the industry.' That resonated with me and is something I want to be. I want to be a member of winning squads and do all the little things that add up.

Eddie Jones, the former Wallabies coach, has launched one last stinging criticism of Australian rugby, saying that it has "no hardship" and categorising portions of the sport's media 'idiots.' In Stan's latest documentary film, The Wallabies, Jones slammed journalists prior to heading to France for the World Cup, advising them to 'give yourselves uppercuts' and giving them a second dose.

THE WORLD OF RUGBY: Scotland will welcome the English with a measure of rivalry that is not equaled by the visitors from south of Hadrian's Wall. When the England coach arrives, they will be cramming onto the upper walkways at Murrayfield, leaning toward some chosen words and perhaps even the odd projectile for good measure. Steve Borthwick and his crew will know that they are clearly out of their comfort zone thanks to the yells, boos, and chants. As always, there will be a proper edge and a tense, which is exactly how it should be. During the warm-ups, there is every chance that the Red Rose raiders will be met by go-slow bagpipers, the infernal pillar in the middle of the away dressing-room, and severe overcrowding on their half of the field. This is all part of the fixture's rich tapestry.

RIATH AL-SAMARRAI: Emma Raducanu is a point of interest right now, but unfortunately few are on her side of the board. It would seem this has been another one of those weeks where her bruises were accompanied by a familiar question: is she really doing enough to help herself? On Monday, I watched her match against Anhelina Kalinina at the Qatar Open. She was neither pretty nor a match - she was defeated 6-0 in the first round and then lost a tiebreak in the second round. She was disqualified in the first round of an important tournament because she had reserved her cleanest hits for an interview following her loss.

For the first time in nearly three decades, Rugby Australia is considering a Bledisloe match in Sydney to prevent a clash with the NRL and finals and attract more families. Although daytime Bledisloe fixtures are not common in New Zealand, there have only been two afternoon kickoffs in Australia during the professional period. In 1996, the Wallabies faced the All Blacks in the daylight at Lang Park, and the All Blacks did the same in Perth 25 years later in 2021.

Joe Schmidt, the new Wallabies coach, has revealed that he wants to speak with former coach Eddie Jones before starting his Wallabies work. Schmidt, 58, steps into his new role on March 1 after Jones' humiliating World Cup campaign. In July, his first Test as coach will be against Wales, but before Schmidt gets going, he believes it's important to connect with former Wallabies coaches Jones and Dave Rennie.

CHRIS FOY: As the hosts attempt to resurrect their Twickenham citadel and their rivals fight for a dozen years of Six Nations pain, England and Wales beckons. Despite a thrilling, logic-defying comeback, rugby's top players will revive hostilities this afternoon in the midst of an English mission to recover lost home advantage. Both hope and enthusiasm are on the line, and new-era optimism is shaky. Something has to give. England has won three, drawn one, and lost six in the last ten Tests at Twickenham, including a surprise loss to Fiji in late August last year. Five months ago, France was being put to the sword by France, who romped to a historic 53-10 triumph.

Tevita Pangai Jr famously walked away from the Bulldogs and the NRL in 2023 to pursue a career in boxing, but that didn't stop former Wallabies coach Eddie Jones from trying to recruit him to the rival code

By signing with French outfit Stade Francais, England centre Joe Marchant is expected to resurrect his international career. Marchant, 27, who finished third at last year's World Cup, was a key figure for Steve Borthwick's side, having played six of seven games in France. He had promised to rise to the top 14 and sign for Stade in a contract that would make him unavailable for Test selection during his time with the Paris club.