Eddie Jones bats away criticism over training regime

(Photo: Getty Images)
By Adam Ellis
England head coach Eddie Jones will stick to his guns regarding his training plans for the national side following criticism from Bath owner Bruce Craig.
Craig was outraged at the knee injury suffered by prop Beno Obano while on England duty, which will rule him out for 12 months, becoming the fifth Bath player to be struck by injury under Jones’ watch.
With Sam Underhill and Zach Mercer taking blows during a Six Nations training session earlier this year, Craig’s labelling of the England coach’s tactics as ‘totally unacceptable’ has been met with sarcasm by the Australian.
Asked if he was concerned by the trait between his training methods and the number of injuries occurring on duty, Jones replied “I don’t know whether that’s the case. You guys are telling me that, but I’d have to go and look at the figures.
“I don’t have a concern about it, I think we train appropriately for Test match rugby.
“I’m not privy to his [the Bath owner’s] comments so I can’t really comment on them. I’m 100 per cent happy. The only reason I’d alter it was if we needed to train harder or we need to train lighter to be at our best for Test matches.
“We prepare the players to play the Test match, that’s what we do, so I don’t think an owner of a club has the right to tell the Test coach how he should train the team.”
England are preparing for a three-Test tour of South Africa hoping to redeem themselves from a worst Six Nations finish since 1987. The first Test gets underway at Ellis Park Stadium in Johannesburg on 9 June.