Six Nations
2020-05-26 16:12
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Eddie Jones (Getty Images) |
England coach Eddie Jones supports the idea of rugby coaching operating from the sidelines as is the case with soccer.
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Speaking to England performance director Conor O’Shea in the latest episode of The Eddie Jones Podcast, said he adopted a similar role during his time as Japan head coach and feels patrolling the sidelines would be beneficial.
He confirmed he is considering spending the first half in the “normal” position set aside for head coaches in the main stand but hopes to get closer to the action during the second half of games.
“Ideally, if you could, you would do the first half in the stand to look at the patterns of play, what tactically are they trying to do and where can you expose them in the second half, which a lot of times is more about emotion, digging deep and you could add some value on the side of the pitch,” Jones said.
While there are some negatives to this approach – like putting coaches closer to crowds which exposes them to verbal abuse – Jones believes that copying soccer is a natural progression for rugby union.
“I was lucky enough when I coached in Japan to coach on the side of the pitch and you could definitely have an influence on certain teams and you see that with football managers.
“Having that balance of being able to get how the game is evolving and then add something to the emotional side of the game could make it quite interesting.”
– Compiled by Sport24 staff
