Eddie Jones says England’s heavy Six Nations defeat to Ireland triggered memories of the darker days from his own tenure in charge at Twickenham.
Steve Borthwick’s side were beaten 42-21 by Andy Farrell’s men, a result that leaves their championship ambitions hanging by a thread.
Jones, who experienced both highs and lows during his seven-year spell as England coach, admitted the manner of the loss struck a chord.
“I felt a bit sick at the end of the game,” he said on the Rugby Unity podcast. “I’ve had that feeling; the grey sky looks like it’s coming down on you, there’s this eerie feeling in the stadium, you look at the stadium and it’s only half full.
“Everyone’s gone and the people who are still there are looking for a bit of blood.
“I’m serious about that. I have an affection for England but, as an Australian, we have a funny relationship with the Poms don’t we?”
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Jones also analysed why Ireland were able to dominate.
“I thought Andy Farrell’s management of [scrumhalf] Jamison Gibson-Park was outstanding. Against Italy, he put him on the bench, played 30 minutes, increased the tempo of the game and he looked sharp right from the start.
“Obviously playing off the back of fast ball helps, but the way he brought his attack to the gain line …
“The other part of that was I thought Ireland attacked a lot flatter, a lot more off nine. You think of the number of times that [Jack] Crowley touched the ball, it wasn’t a lot, so they took that issue out of the 10.
“They played a lot more off nine which they were allowed to do because the ball was fast and because of that the decision-making of England’s defenders was really tested.
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“They had to make a lot of decisions because the ball was at the line. You think about the linebreak that [No 8 Caelan] Doris made, it went long pass then short pass and the defender doesn’t fill the space – I think it might have been [prop Ellis] Genge in that situation – and you saw that a couple of times which had an affect on the game.”
This is under 14s level stuff.
I love Genge, but man…pic.twitter.com/pHpKxxhrjo
— Tight Five Rugby (@TightFive_Rugby) February 21, 2026
Photo: Andy Rain/EPA
The post England loss left Eddie feeling ‘a bit sick’ appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Eddie Jones says England’s heavy Six Nations defeat to Ireland triggered memories of the darker days from his own tenure in charge at Twickenham.
The post England loss left Eddie feeling ‘a bit sick’ appeared first on SA Rugby magazine. Read More
