John Mitchell's departure as England defence coach earlier this year appeared out of the blue, but it's now understood a fallout with head honcho Eddie Jones may have been the reason.
That's after The Times reported Mitchell's exit followed his decision to defy Jones and watch his son Daryl—a New Zealand international cricketer —play for Middlesex on a day off.
Both tacticians were allegedly gathered alongside other coaches at the Lensbury Club on a day off earlier in 2021 when Mitchell informed his boss he was going to the cricket.
It's alleged Jones' retort was brief as he informed Mitchell "No, you're not," and that there was work to be done.
Mitchell went anyway, and despite having signed a new England Rugby contract as recently as February 2021, his exit from the set-up was confirmed on July 23, the same day it was announced he would re-join Wasps.
When contacted by Mirror Sport for comment, an RFU spokeswoman said: “Eddie is widely regarded as one of the most qualified and leading international rugby coaches in the world.
"International coaching in the elite game requires a unique super high-performance, competitive environment and the demands of this can be challenging. There are many coaches and players who have worked with Eddie that speak very highly of him, his commitment and work ethic and value the experience. While the demands of an international environment are not for everyone, many have gained from Eddie’s knowledge and experience and furthered their career as a result of learning from him.
"Steve Borthwick has worked with Eddie in a number of roles since 2007 and he was part of the England coaching team with Eddie for five years, they continue to have a strong relationship and there are many other examples of long standing relationships. Eddie visited Steve and the Leicester Tigers team every four weeks over the summer and he describes Steve’s coaching as outstanding.”
The revelation is one of numerous insights assembled by The Times as part of a deeper dive into why Jones has had strained relationships with some of his coaching staff.
New Zealander Mitchell isn't the only casualty among the England coaching camp in the past year.
Simon Amor stepped down from his role as attack coach in May after 16 months in the job, while would-be skills mentor Jason Ryles opted not to take up the role as a result of the global pandemic.
Jones, 61, has formed a new team in time for the upcoming autumn internationals, with Anthony Seibold replacing Mitchell as defence coach while Richard Cockerill has taken a role leading the forwards.
The former Australia and Japan chief will hope those relationships bear more fruit, with the Red Rose targeting a sharp response after they finished fifth at this year's Six Nations.
Although the relationships with his fellow coaches can seemingly be strained, it's the players who are thought to more frequently feel the wrath of Jones' judgement.
The Times also highlighted an anecdote from former England and Northampton Saints captain Dylan Hartley, who recalled Marland Yarde falling afoul of Jones after meeting up for an England camp.
The former London Irish and Harlequins winger—now in his fifth season at Sale Sharks —was "a bit bruised and battered" from club duty upon turning up at England's Pennyhill training base but was made to regret his honesty.
"Eddie greeted him with a bright 'How are you feeling, mate?' and the conversation quickly went downhill," Hartley recounted of the tussle. "'Oh, a bit tired.' 'F*** off, mate.' 'What?' 'If you're tired, f*** off. I don't want tired players here.’
"As you can imagine, their cosy fireside chat echoed around the halls within minutes."
Jones is purported to create a testing atmosphere, pressing buttons and pushing players to their limits—and coaches, too, it would seem.
The approach was good enough to take England to second at the 2019 Rugby World Cup, but their performance at this year's Six Nations was the team's worst result since 1987.
They'll seek major improvements in the autumn fixtures against Tonga (November 6), Australia (November 13) and South Africa (November 20), with a new-look coaching team to go along with Jones' refreshed squad.
