(Reuters) – England captain Owen Farrell said Eddie Jones was one of the best coaches he has ever worked with and described his sacking as “unbelievably disappointing”.
Jones was sacked by the Rugby Football Union (RFU) last week following a review of England’s November series, with the team winning only five of their 12 tests under him this year.
“It’s unbelievably disappointing,” Farrell told the BBC on Sunday after his Premiership side Saracens defeated Edinburgh in the Champions Cup.
“Eddie had been a big part of England Rugby for a long time now and he has been one of the best coaches I have ever had so, for that, I’m massively thankful.
“We are disappointed it has finished early and we owe a lot to him. I have been around for a while now and not been around too many changes, both at club and international level. It’s not pleasant to go through.”
Farrell said the impetus to replace Jones had not come from the players.
“I don’t think it has come from the players. There is obviously stuff we all want to get better at from the results but as players you look at yourself and see what you can do,” he added.
(Reporting by Manasi Pathak in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
