Ollie Lawrence insists Eddie Jones‘ tough love shaped him into the player he has become as England’s former head coach prepares for his Allianz Stadium return with Japan.
Jones gave Lawrence his debut as a 21-year-old in 2021 however months later he provided an unflattering appraisal of the barnstorming centre in his ebook ‘Leadership: Lessons from my Life in Rugby’.
“He’s still a kid, only 21, but the way that some of the media raves about him you would think he’s already assured of becoming one of the best players in the world,” Jones wrote.
“He might do that, one day, but his attitude was not hungry or disciplined enough.”
Eddie Jones’ Japan face England subsequent (Joe Giddens/PA)
Lawrence was frozen out within the final yr and a half of Jones’ reign however as soon as the Australian was sacked, his worldwide profession was revived by Steve Borthwick.
Underneath Borthwick, the arduous working Bathtub threequarter has been an ever-present and he’s now cemented in his alternative midfield alongside Henry Slade.
Jones faces England at Twickenham for the primary time since his departure amid claims from Danny Care that he’s a “despot” who oversaw a “toxic” atmosphere, however Lawrence has come to understand his administration model.
Grateful
“I’ll always be grateful to Eddie because he gave me my first England cap. He’s one of those coaches, as we all know, that likes to challenge players,” Lawrence stated.
“There was some extent in my profession the place he challenged me on my angle and whether or not I used to be working arduous sufficient to warrant being within the squad and whether or not I used to be pushing myself sufficient in coaching.
“On the time you may have a look at it and be annoyed and be ‘oh, the boss isn’t on my aspect right here’. Again then I used to be in all probability a bit aggravated. I used to be in all probability like ‘why is he on my case so much, why is he on my case?’.
“However now I look again three or 4 years on and assume that was in all probability the most effective factor that I wanted then.
“I’d come into an England squad at a younger age, issues had gone effectively for me at Worcester and you then’re on the worldwide stage and also you’re with all these gamers so there’s one other degree it’s important to increase your recreation to.
“Maybe at the time I didn’t see that but looking back I can definitely see why he may have thought that I wasn’t pushing myself as much as I needed to. Hopefully that lesson back then has helped me to be where I am now.”
Squad Modifications
Tom Curry returns for the conflict with Japan however Immanuel Feyi-Waboso has misplaced his personal race to be match for the climax to the Autumn Nations Sequence.
Each gamers had been concussed within the 42-37 defeat by Australia within the second match of the collection, ruling them out of Saturday’s 29-20 loss to South Africa.
Whereas Curry has accomplished the graduated return to play protocols, Feyi-Waboso stays unavailable and isn’t current within the 36-man coaching squad named by Borthwick.
Curry replaces Charlie Ewels within the group that assembled at England’s Surrey coaching base on Tuesday with Cadan Murley referred to as up as a substitute for Elliot Daly, who’s battling an unspecified damage.
READ MORE: Why does it at all times go incorrect within the final quarter for England?
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Author : rugby365
Publish date : 2024-11-20 11:14:55
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