Former England centre Luther Burrell has come out strong in his condemnation of England head coach Eddie Jones.
Labelling Jones a dictator, Burrell joins former England international Danny Cipriani in expressing his doubts about Jones’s ability to lead England.
Writing in the Daily mail, Burrell explained just why he felt the England camp was not a happy environment.
“I’m not sure what things are like now, but my experience is of a dictatorship where you are just told what to do. That sort of environment doesn’t allow the players within it to grow and make wrong decisions, which is crucial,” Burrell wrote.
“No one wants to make a wrong decision, but rugby is never going to be a smooth process. The ability to make mistakes, learn from them and then correct them the next time around is crucial to the growth and development of both a player and the team as a whole.”
Burrell then goes on to write perhaps the most damning indictment about the state of the current set-up.
“I’m not sure England’s players feel they can do that. They’re worried about making errors which could lead to them being dropped. They live in fear of Eddie.”
“So too do his assistant coaches. That much is clear by the huge number who have worked in the England set-up under him and then moved on.”
Already under severe pressure following his controversial statement on the English private school system, Jones will be looking for vindication on the pitch in the upcoming Six Nations and next year’s World Cup.
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