Clive Woodward has given a scathing review of the RFU following what he has described as "the worst week in English rugby history."
England were outclassed for the second in as many games on Saturday, succumbing 27-13 to South Africa at Twickenham in a rematch of the 2019 Rugby World Cup final. The Red Rose rallied late to draw 25-25 against New Zealand the previous weekend, scoring three tries in the final eight minutes after Beauden Barrett was sin-binned for the visitors.
"The game in this country is a total shambles and the comprehensive defeat to a South Africa side without nine of its best players showed it," wrote the Rugby World Cup -winner for the Mail On Sunday . "Losing to a second-string Springbok outfit came just days after the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport slammed the leading figures in English rugby for the way they run the sport.
"When are the leading figures at the RFU going to wake up and realise English rugby is in trouble? Everything is not OK. Eddie Jones will be allowed to carry on as he likes yet again. I was lost for words watching the South Africa game. It was that bad."
Less than a year out from the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France, England failed to inspire in lacklustre outing in front of their own fans. Captain Owen Farrell had a day to forget after missing two penalties, and England managed to score just seven points in the last 20 minutes despite South Africa being reduced to 14 men for the final quarter of the match.
Woodward went on to described the performance as "one of the most depressing games" he'd witnessed at Twickenham. It completed a chaotic calendar year for England, who won only two of their five Six Nations games for the second year in succession.
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David Rogers/Getty Images)Head coach Jones apologised for Saturday's sorry send-off and took "full responsibility" in the wake of another defeat. England also lost to visiting Argentina earlier in November, leaving a 52-13 hammering of Japan as their only win in the penultimate Test window prior to the World Cup.
“We would like to thank England fans for their patience and support, it matters to us how they feel. Like them we are really disappointed with the results of the Autumn Nations Series," said RFU chief executive Bill Sweeney in a swift address. "Despite strong individual performances and some great new talent coming into the team, the overall results are not where we expect them to be.”
Woodward's words are perhaps to be taken with a pinch of salt given his history in criticising the RFU and more specifically, Jones. He doubled down by suggesting Sweeney and Conor O'Shea, the RFU's director of performance, "aren’t good enough" to keep their jobs, and the organisation is "getting what it deserves."
