Rassie on Eddie: 'A man who has rugby in his heart'
SPOTLIGHT: South Africa’s Director of Rugby Rassie Erasmus has shown his respect for Eddie Jones, who was given the boot by the Rugby Football Union this week.
On Tuesday, Jones paid the price for presiding over England’s worst year since 2008, the team losing six out of 12 Tests, with five wins and a draw.
He was the second head coach to be fired this week after Wales replaced Wayne Pivac with predecessor Warren Gatland on Monday.
Jones was contracted to take England through until the end of the 2023 World Cup in France – he guided them to the 2019 final where they were beaten by South Africa – but the RFU has curtailed his seven-year reign.
As a way of paying tribute to Jones, Erasmus shared his interaction with the former England coach in November 2021.
The interaction happened a few days after England edged the Springboks 27-26 at Twickenham
Erasmus also famously received his first ban from World Rugby a few days before that match.
In a tweet this week, Erasmus described Jones as “a man who has rugby in his heart” with a screenshot of that brief interaction.
Enough said ! He is a man who has rugby in his heart ! pic.twitter.com/qwQ5iN0DBk
— Rassie Erasmus (@RassieRugby) December 7, 2022
