Here’s the round-up of the latest rugby news for Tuesday 6th December – two men dominating the headlines

Jones threatens to be fired after RFC meeting

England manager Eddie Jones will be sacked today and replaced by Steve Borthwick after Wales won a tug of war with their great rugby rivals under Warren Gatland.

England were also interested in signing Gatland and asking him to take the Red Rose to next year’s World Cup with promising Jones.

READ MORE: Warren Gatland’s first interview: My plans for Wales and future managerial decisions

Instead, they’re turning to boss Lester Borthwick after the RFU launched an investigation into Jones’ dismal fall campaign.

The Australian has been England’s head coach since the end of 2015, but several London newspapers have reported that a decision has already been made about his future. They say RFU bosses, including chief executive Bill Sweeney, spoke with Jones on Monday and decided to end his seven-year reign.

Jones, who won a grand slam in his first few months in charge before taking England to the 2019 World Cup final, has a win rate of 74%, which remains the highest winning percentage of any England manager in history. story.

But the Red Rose have been in bad shape since the last World Cup, recording just two wins from five in each of their last two Six Nations campaigns, while Jones has also overseen an appalling run of just five wins for England in their last 12 Tests. .

With Gatland taken over by Wales, Leicester’s director of rugby Borthwick is the hot favorite to replace Jones.

Borthwick worked with Jones in Japan and England before leaving the international arena to make Leicester Premier League champions. He is under contract at Welford Road but Leicester have made it clear they will not stand in the former England captain’s way as long as their claim is met.

Current manager Kevin Sinfield and head of fitness Aled Walters could also be asked to join their boss in a switch from Welford Road to the national team.

Jamie Describes Gatland’s Biggest Challenge

Welsh legend Jamie Roberts, who played 79 times for Gatland for Wales and the Lions, said Kiwi’s return as assistant manager was a “real opportunity” for the Welsh game.

“There was general agreement that a change was needed after the year Wales had,” Roberts told Sky Sports News. “And obviously they went back to Warren, who coached Wales for 12 years.

“He has had an incredible success rate with Wales. I think people forget what his winning percentage was, over 70% in the Six Nations, 60% in the Rugby World Cup. He has led Wales to two World Cup semi-finals and a quarter-final, which is why he knows the Welsh rugby scene so well.

“I think in Wales it would be silly to think that the only problem in rugby is the national team manager. The issues go much deeper but I think Warren’s appointment is a real opportunity for them to gain Warren’s coaching experience and his CV is huge for Wales at the moment.

“There will be changes, there’s no doubt about that and it’s important that they use their knowledge. He was there with Wales through thick and thin. You have a big job to do. We know what’s coming, the Six Nations is a few months away, which will lead to some warm-up games leading up to the biggest tournament. Wales are currently ranked 9th in the world and have had a disappointing year. Something had to change.

“It looks like Wales are taking two steps back to take five steps forward, returning to a man who will be familiar to Welsh managers, players and rugby.

“It will be interesting to see if he changes coaches under him or if they stay in place. But his biggest challenge is finding the right players. In the Six Nations, roll the dice with the younger players or rely on the older ones. from your squad to lead them?”

Gatland reveals the players he impressed while away

Warren Gatland name-checked several Welsh players who had impressed him while he was away from work.

The coach acted as a commentator during the autumn international campaign, where Wales suffered three defeats in four, losing to New Zealand, Australia and Georgia.

But despite these results – so bad that Wayne Pivac was relieved of his duties 10 months after the next World Cup in France – a number of players made their mark at Gatland, including Gareth Anscombe, Jacques Morgan and George North.

Anscombe, of course, was Wales’ starting midfielder as they won the Grand Slam during Gatland’s last term as president in 2019, and the manager made no attempt to hide how much he missed his World Cup at the end of that year. year. after he was seriously injured in the warm up against England.

Meanwhile, Morgan has burst onto the international scene, earning a loan spell in the autumn after being dropped in the summer, while North has settled into his new role at centre-back, switching wings.

Asked what impressed him about the autumn, the Wales manager said: “I think Anscombe was excellent on the line and moving the ball. Jack Morgan was great. The attackers are calm. There are some positions where it’s not that deep.

“George North appears to be ready in his position. There are some gaps that need to be filled. The age profile of the group and I need to know if the players hold up over the next 12 months. There’s a lot to do.

“But if we can build on the first 40 minutes against Australia, although I remember they lost 24 players, there were some encouraging signs.”

Chiefs pay tribute to ‘instrumental’ Gatland

Following Warren Gatland’s departure from the club, the Chiefs issued a statement saying they would “watch his return to Wales with interest and pride”.

Gatland returned to New Zealand in 2020 to become head coach of the Super Rugby team before becoming the club’s Director of Rugby.

His four-year contract with New Zealand Rugby was due to run until the end of 2023, but he was released early to return to Wales with an option to replace Wayne Pivac, “whom he finds it hard to let go”. 🇧🇷

Chiefs Rugby Club CEO Simon Graafhus said: “Warren has been an important part of Chiefs Rugby Club over the last few years and whilst we are disappointed to lose him he leaves with our full support.

“Warren is a great coach who has made a huge contribution to the development of rugby in New Zealand and the Northern Hemisphere. You don’t coach Ireland, Wales and Lions abroad without extensive coaching experience. Warren’s significant time in the Welsh environment makes him ideally suited to help the team reach its potential and we will be keen and proud to see one of our own help Wales on its journey.”

Source: Wales Online