Woodward: "Jones needs to feel some serious heat from his employers. I would say to him: 'Forget the next World Cup, if you lose your next game against Scotland in the Six Nations you're out of your job.' If Jones has to get paid off and we need to raise the money, then so be it."
Monday 28 November 2022 15:03, UK
Sir Clive Woodward says Eddie Jones should be sacked as England head coach if they lose their next Test vs Scotland, after the "worst week in English rugby history."
England produced one of the lowest points during Jones' tenure against a Springboks side that was missing their European-based players in a 27-13 defeat at Twickenham on Saturday - and that despite South Africa's Thomas du Toit being red carded with 20 minutes left to play.
The result came at the end of a dismal Autumn Nations Series campaign which has seen England win just one match - against Japan on November 12.
This latest defeat also means England have had their least successful year since 2008, with Jones presiding over six losses, one draw and five wins in Tests, in addition to a heavy 52-21 loss to the Barbarians at Twickenham in June.
"England are not just losing, they are going backwards at an alarming rate of knots," Woodward wrote in Mail Online on Monday.
"On Sunday, the RFU released a bland statement confirming their review panel will 'discuss' the autumn campaign. This is the same anonymous RFU review panel that has been in place since 2019. So, here we go again. Another year, another review.
"A full and totally transparent review must be done immediately to look into where the team are at. As head coach, Eddie Jones has serious questions to answer. Everything must be scrutinised.
"Since 2019, when Jones' England failed to turn up in the World Cup final, this anonymous panel has conducted two utterly pointless reviews.
"For reasons which have never been explained to me, I have never been invited to participate in any of these reviews.
"At the risk of sounding arrogant, I believe I am the most qualified Englishman to conduct an investigation. People might read that and think I'm angling for a job. Nothing could be further from the truth. The role as RFU director of rugby would have interested me 10 years ago, but that ship has long since sailed.
"If I were in charge of reviewing Jones and his team, here is how I would approach it:
"The outcome of the review has to scare the living daylights out of Jones and the team. After being well beaten by a second-string South Africa side, Jones said: 'I don't really care what other people think.' What an awful thing for the England head coach to say. It says so much about Jones and his opinion of English rugby.
"As England coach you need to care very much what people think. The RFU have to start getting tough on Jones, but Sweeney will not stand up to him. He doesn't have the rugby knowledge to question his decisions.
"Jones needs to feel some serious heat from his employers. I would say to him: 'Forget the next World Cup, if you lose your next game against Scotland in the Six Nations you're out of your job.' If Jones has to get paid off and we need to raise the money for that to happen, then so be it.
"Stop talking about the World Cup. It epitomises the cosy culture of English rugby and is a sure-fire way to keep your job no matter how poorly you perform.
"England can absolutely win the World Cup next year. But there are problems with putting all your eggs in one basket. First, everyone else has the same opportunity to raise their game. Second, and more importantly, what does it say about English rugby if all we care about is the World Cup?"
Drawing memories of the 2019 World Cup final, England failed to really trouble South Africa and the dismal end to the year came just two days after rugby bosses were accused of presiding over "failure on an epic scale" by MPs in response to the financial collapse of Gallagher Premiership clubs Worcester and Wasps.
Writing on Sunday, Woodward, England's 2003 World Cup-winning coach, said: "This was the worst week in English rugby history. The game in this country is a total shambles, and defeat to a South Africa side without nine of its best players showed it.
"When are the leading figures at the RFU going to wake up and realise English rugby is in trouble? Everything is not OK. Eddie Jones will be allowed to carry on as he likes yet again.
"I was lost for words watching the South Africa game. It was that bad. It was one of the most depressing games I've seen at HQ. The England team is miles off where it needs to be.
"I've never seen people booing at the final whistle at Twickenham before. It really, really hurts me to see and hear that. I hate it. But at the same time, it also reflects where England are at right now."
The RFU has confirmed its review panel will hold a series of meetings in the next two weeks to discuss the Autumn Nations campaign and how improvements can be made ahead of the Six Nations. The panel has met before and after tournaments since 2019.
RFU chief executive Bill Sweeney said: "We would like to thank England fans for their patience and support, it matters to us how they feel. Like them, we are really disappointed with the results of the Autumn Nations Series. Despite strong individual performances and some great new talent coming into the team, the overall results are not where we expect them to be."
Mike Brown, who is England's most capped full-back and was a key figure under Jones until 2018, believes his former head coach must be "held to account" when he faces a review from the Rugby Football Union.
Nine Tests out from the 2023 World Cup and England are besieged by problems and frailties, identifying them as merely fringe contenders for the Springboks' global crown.
"I have stopped believing what comes out of Eddie Jones' mouth. I'm hearing the same things over and over again," Brown told The Mail on Sunday.
"We keep getting fed all these narratives about growth and playing style, but it's not being backed up on the pitch.
"He keeps saying it's his fault, so what is he doing about it? The time for talking is over. People are bored with it. He needs to be held to account."
