It’s not often that Jones shows any hints of regret.
Eddie Jones is an incredibly clever coach.
Some may find his demeanour either disrespectful or borderline offending. He also knows how to rub people up the wrong way, as evidenced in his recent tit-for-tat with Wallabies head coach, Michael Cheika.
But what you can say, is that Jones, for the most part, is doing this as part of an overall plan.
A lot of his statements at press conferences can be absolute gold for sports journalists, with numerous articles and headlines generated from just a brief soundbite from the Australian.
All of this takes the attention away from his team and as a result lets his players concentrate on training and preparing for the next game.
Onc of Jones’ verbal barbs which he made during the most recent Six Nations was in the build up to Ireland’s clash with England at Twickenham. He commented that Sexton’s parents should be concerned for his health after his whiplash injury he suffered in Ireland’s physical encounter against France. Jones stated:
“They’ve talked about him having a whiplash injury. I’m sure his mother and father would be worried about that. Hopefully, the lad’s all right on Saturday to play.
“I’d just be worried about his welfare. If you’re saying a guy has got whiplash then he’s had a severe trauma. Maybe they used the wrong term, but if you’ve had severe trauma then you’ve got to worry about the welfare of the player.”
Eddie Jones says Johnny Sexton's parents should be concerned over his whiplash https://t.co/Wci6eQnJMm
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) February 25, 2016
Obviously, those comments didn’t go down well on these shores with many commenting that Jones was bang out of order for referencing Sexton’s parents.
However, Jones admits that he may have went a little bit too far with his comments, he revealed in an interview with The Times.
“At the right time I will (apologise). I haven’t yet but at the right time I will. Because he is a brilliant player. I love him as a player.”
Jones himself probably knew at the time that he had gone too far but likely made the calculated decision to save face by not apologising.
It will be interesting to see whether Jones carries out his promise and apologises to Sexton or whether this is the start of the mind games. Don’t forget, Ireland face England in the final game of the Six Nations in just 12 weeks time.
