SM
Sports Mole words bigger AMP 2
Man Utd vs. Rangers: 11 hrs 53 mins
Upcoming predictions and previews

England

John Mitchell has no plans to succeed Eddie Jones as England boss

:Headline: John Mitchell has no plans to succeed Eddie Jones as England boss: ID:336639: from db_amp
Mitchell will oversee the defence until the conclusion of next year’s World Cup.

John Mitchell is comfortable acting as Eddie Jones’ number two after rejecting the prospect of eventually succeeding his new boss as England head coach.

Mitchell will oversee the defence until the conclusion of next year’s World Cup after being recruited as Paul Gustard’s replacement in a total package costing Twickenham in the region of £500,000.

The former All Blacks chief has amassed 24 years of tracksuit experience, including three working beneath Sir Clive Woodward from 1997-2000. Virtually ever since his time with England, he has only ever served as a head coach.

Jones has signed a two-year contract extension that expires in 2021 – subject to performance at the World Cup – but Mitchell has distanced himself from the possibility of filling any vacancy created by his long-term friend.

“People will speculate but that’s not even on my mind. I have a job to do and I’ll do it the best I can,” Mitchell said.

“I’m really looking forward to getting into it, which has already started. I’m on a one-year contract and I will fulfil that the best I can.

“Whatever happens after that, I will decide, but there is certainly no talk or ambition around that situation. I’ve just got to deal with what’s in front of me now.”

John Mitchell chats with Kyle Sinckler during the training session (Ben Birchall/PA)

Mitchell, who represented New Zealand but was never capped by the All Blacks, is seen an unforgiving disciplinarian with a fiery nature, but the 54-year-old laughs off the reputation.

“It’s funny the perception you create and I sometimes laugh at the perception,” Mitchell said.

“For some reason that’s the perception and some people see that as the reality, and it’s not.

“I don’t sweat the small things, I fully enjoy what I do and I’m very at peace with what I do.”

Jones and Mitchell were adversaries at the 2003 World Cup, the former in his role as Wallabies head coach, and they have stayed in touch since, showing each other “empathy during difficult times, in sickness”.

The two met during England’s June tour to South Africa and Mitchell agreed to join the management team, leaving the Rugby Football Union to negotiate his release from the year left on his Blue Bulls contract.

“Coaching England was special back then and it’s special now. It’s nice to come back with more maturity and miles on the tyres,” Mitchell said.

John Mitchell has history with the England team (David Kendall/PA)

“I’m indebted to English rugby because my first five years coaching were in this country. It is like going to school for the first time.”

England’s three-day training camp in Bristol – the last before the squad gathers to step up preparations for the autumn series – has been beset by injuries.

Joe Launchbury, Chris Ashton and Billy Vunipola were unable to train because of hamstring injuries, while Manu Tuilagi and Ben Youngs did not attend due to respective hamstring and ankle problems.

amp_article__336639 : Database Data restored...  : 
last updated article - 2018-09-24 21:00:54:
html db last update - 2018-09-24 21:00:54 :

ex - 7200 : read : read cache amp html

Click here for more stories about England

Share this article now:
Read more about England Rugby Union
Recommended Next on SM
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool21155150203050
2Arsenal22128243212244
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest22135433221144
4Chelsea22117444271740
5Manchester CityMan City22115644291538
6Newcastle UnitedNewcastle22115638261238
7Bournemouth22107536261037
8Aston Villa2210663334-136
9Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton2281043530534
10Fulham228953430433
11Brentford2284104039128
12Crystal Palace226972528-327
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd2275102732-526
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham2275102743-1626
15Tottenham HotspurSpurs22731245351024
16Everton214891828-1020
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves2244143251-1916
18Ipswich TownIpswich2237122043-2316
19Leicester CityLeicester2235142348-2514
20Southampton2213181550-356
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.



. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .