SIR CLIVE WOODWARD: Eddie Jones's private school comments are nonsense

I gave myself 24 hours before I looked to respond to Eddie Jones’s divisive and disrespectful comments on English rugby’s private school system.

To be perfectly honest, in that time I expected the Rugby Football Union to come out and say something. But, as usual, we heard nothing from the head honchos at Twickenham.

Jones expressed his view that English rugby players who come through the private school system do not develop enough leadership skills or the ability to deal with adversity due to their education.

He believes England should ‘blow the whole thing up’ to try to improve the chances of future success. These are such negative comments and come at a very strange time.

Jones can say what he likes, but he seemingly has a monopoly on the voice of English rugby. When the RFU just stand by and let it happen, you wonder what on earth is going on.

Why does Jones have the right to belittle the English game like that? When nobody from the RFU — such as the chief executive Bill Sweeney — responds, then you can only assume that the powers that be at Twickenham actually think the same as Jones.

It is either that, or they do disagree but opt for a quieter life rather than holding their head coach to account. Both demonstrate a fundamental failure of leadership.

Jones has taken aim at English rugby’s schooling system at a time when the game is in a really serious situation with players, both past and present, suffering from significant brain injuries.

Steve Thompson, Alix Popham, Ryan Jones and many others are all dealing with serious trauma as a result of head knocks suffered while playing rugby.

Ed Slater’s motor neurone disease diagnosis is another tragic recent development.

The sport is in a perilous situation at the moment