The Dubliner was reportedly upset at being defence coach; after he was reportedly told that he would join the set up as England’s attacking coach. Dublin native Jones, who earned 13-caps for Ireland between 2011-15 reportedly became unhappy with the situation at the RFU.....CONTINUE READING THE ARTICLE FROM THE SOURCE
According to the Telegraph, Jones was upset at being defence coach; after he was reportedly told that he would join the set up as England’s attacking coach.
37-year-old Jones implemented a blitz defence for England during last year’s Six Nations.
Since the departure was confirmed, player from the England side admitted they were shocked after Jones’ decision to leave.
Northampton and England fullback George Furbank says the departure will leave a huge hole in the England setup.
He also admitted that the news came as a shock to many.
He said: “We weren’t expecting it. Nobody really saw it coming. It was a bit of a shock. It was a bit of an odd timing.
“They will be a loss. I loved working with Felix especially. He was a very good coach so he’ll definitely be missed. But I’m sure the people Steve will bring in will do a good job.
“It helped us go from a defence that was ranked fourth or fifth in the world to first or second. We definitely saw massive improvement.”
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Meanwhile, Tommy Freeman said he was gutted while Fin Smith his shock at the news.
Jones is the latest from a number of key behind the scenes departures after the whole new strength and conditioning department of Aled Walters and Tom Tombleson both quit their roles earlier this month.
Speaking to PA, Smith said: ‘[It’s] really surprising. Definitely, definitely didn’t see it coming. It’s going to be a real shame with those two guys not being around.
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‘Aled’s an amazing character and drives so much of the energy in there and Felix is one of the hardest-working coaches and one of the best rugby brains I’ve come across.
‘There’s no two ways about it – they’re going to be a big loss. It’s a real shock.”
