England coach Eddie Jones attempted to confront a fan who insulted him
(Photo by Jason McCawley – RFU/The RFU Collection via Getty Images) © Getty Images
England’s Australian head coach Eddie Jones attempted to confront an Aussie rugby fan who accused him of being a “traitor” in the aftermath of the series decider between the two fierce rival nations on Saturday.
Rugby Australia has condemned the supporter’s “totally unacceptable” behavior after footage of the incident went viral online, showing the irate 62-year-old having to be held back from confronting the fan following the insult.
Footage from the incident shows the supporter petitioning fellow fans to “spray” Jones with beer following the match, which England won by a score of 21-17 to complete a 2-1 series victory down under, before pointing a finger at Jones on the sideline and accusing him of turning his back on his native country.
Got what he deserved from Eddie pic.twitter.com/lUrtzrsB5h
— Adam Peacock (@adampeacock3) July 17, 2022
A furious Jones reacted to the insult but was held back by security, but told the fan: “What did you say? What did you say? Come here and say it. Come here and say it. Come here and say it.”
Subsequent footage also shows the Australian supporter calling Jones an “angry little man.”
A statement issued by Rugby Australia condemned the fan’s actions.
“That fan’s behavior is totally unacceptable and is not welcome at a Wallabies Test if he carries on like that,” they said.
“We should be acknowledging Eddie’s achievements as a great Aussie export. There’s too much tall poppy syndrome in that comment.“
Jones is one of the most successful coaches in rugby’s professional era, and was previously in charge of the Australia national team between 2001 and 2005.
He chose not to address the incident in the post-match press conference but did tell the Sydney Morning Herald on Sunday that “Clowns think they have full go to abuse coaches.”
Jones had previously attracted scorn among Australian fans for comments made after the second match in the three test series which was also won by England.
“You have got 48,000 people all full of drink and all they want to see is their team win,” he said after the match, which was won by England by a score of 25-17.
“When you turn them away, it is a great experience. A great feeling. I was coming out from the coaches’ box and they all have their scarves on. When did Australians start wearing scarves? It is all the rage isn’t it?
“They are not so smart now. Before the game they are coming up saying to me: ‘You are going to get belted tonight.’ Now they are a little bit more quiet. So that’s good. I enjoy that.”
