Eddie Jones has asked former Danny Care to send him a copy of his book after being asked about criticism of him from the former England scrum-half.
In November, the 38-year-old released his autobiography, and it soon hit the headlines due to his scathing words on the Aussie.
Care accused Jones of being responsible for a culture of “toxicity” in the England camp, and implied the players hated his dictatorial style
“We used to say to each other, ‘Just remember, boys, everything’s a test,’ as if we were characters in a dystopian novel,” he wrote.
“Did Eddie rule by fear? Of course he did, everyone was bloody terrified of him. Jonny May probably summed up the situation best: he’d walk in for breakfast, head down, muttering, ‘Expect anything today, boys, expect anything …'”
Jones coached England between 2015 and 2022, winning three Six Nations titles and taking them to the 2015 World Cup final.
He’s now back on UK shores having landed a job as an ITV pundit, and was on duty before Saturday afternoon’s Ireland vs England clash in Dublin.
And he was soon asked about his thoughts on Care’s book. Typically, Jones responded by laughing before taking a dig at the 101-cap international.
“Well, I’m still waiting for a copy of his book so if Danny’s watching, send me a copy so I can read it!” he said. “But look, whenever you tap a player on the back and for that period of time they finish their test career they never have fond memories.”
Jones appeared to be referring to dropping Care at time during his tenure. But he cut a more serious tone when asked if present coach Steve Borthwick needed to harden his own behaviour with the players.
“Look, Steve is a very serious coach,” he said. “You know, he studies the game hard, he’s working on his management skills all the time, and he’ll develop this team nicely.”
Borthwick succeeded Jones in Novemeber 2022, despite the 65-year-old initially being contracted through to the end of the 2023 World Cup. He’d previously worked under his predecessor as forwards coach.
Jones has since gone on to coach Australia before taking over as head coach of Japan for a second time. He’s due to work for ITV for the duration of this current Six Nations.