SM
Bradford vs. Notts County: 12 hrs 23 mins
Upcoming predictions and previews
Collect News Data

England

Richard Cockerill happy to take orders from Eddie Jones but will speak his mind

:Headline: Richard Cockerill happy to take orders from Eddie Jones but will speak his mind:
Richard Cockerill was appointed forwards coach three weeks ago.
Sports Mole

Richard Cockerill is happy to take orders from Eddie Jones but will continue to speak his mind as he looks to stamp his combative personality on to England's pack.

Cockerill was appointed forwards coach three weeks ago and having already visited several Premiership clubs, he will work with Jones' 45-man training squad for the first time as they gather at The Lensbury for a three-day camp on Sunday.

The former Leicester hooker was a belligerent force for England throughout the 27 caps he won between 1997 and 1999 and he famously stared down New Zealand's Norm Hewitt as the Haka was being performed.

Richard Cockerill confronts All Blacks hooker Norm Hewitt during the Haka in 1997 (John Giles/PA)

As a coach at Tigers and Edinburgh the 50-year-old fielded well-drilled and rugged forward packs forged in his own image, and an intriguing dynamic of the next two years leading into France 2023 will be his relationship with Jones.

Both are combustible and hard-nosed, forthright and used to being in charge, but when asked how comfortable he is at taking orders, Cockerill replied: "I'm very good. I spend a lot of time at home so I get lots of orders there from my wife!

"When I spoke to Eddie about what the role was and what part there was for me, I accepted where I would sit in the hierarchy.

"I've got no problem with it – Eddie is a very experienced coach who knows his own mind, and my job is to make sure that my parts of the game work well and we collaborate so that it all plugs in well together and we have a cohesive team.

"Eddie knows me well enough and knows the personality that I am. That's what he wants – he wants opinion and he wants different views. But ultimately he's the boss and he will make decisions and have the final say.

"I'm happy to share my views because that's part of being here. What's the point of having the experience I've got and not using that?

"But Eddie is the boss – everyone knows that and I know that. Ultimately, it's his team and he'll decide who plays and how it's run."

Cockerill will oversee the line-out while Matt Proudfoot, who also holds the title of forwards coach, takes charge of the scrum, with the pair sharing other duties such as the breakdown and contact area.

While being presented by England as equals, Cockerill is expected to take the senior role and it is clear his identity will be the most influential in shaping the pack over the next two years.

Eddie Jones wants to build a pack capable of challenging for the World Cup (Mike Egerton/PA)

Cockerill said: "Eddie wants a fresh pair of eyes, different eyes. He wants me to bring my personality and my drive.

"I've always been able to get combative forward packs and drive mentality and I think that's probably appealed to him.

"You'd like the forwards to be very difficult to play against. You'd like them to deliver a physical performance every time they get on the field.

"The level of our performance can be world class. Part of that is for me to drive those standards and keep the guys honest and on task."

body check tags ::

amp_article__465588 : Collect and Make Data not in DataBase  : 
last updated article - 2021-09-26 21:47:41:
html db last update - 2021-09-26 21:07:09 :

ex - 7200 : read : write cache and make html

Click here for more stories about Richard Cockerill

Click here for more stories about England

Share this article now:
EH
Read Next:
'Outstanding' Joe Marler wants to be part of World Cup campaign - Eddie Jones
>

Subscribe to our newsletter


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!
Read more about Richard Cockerill Eddie Jones Rugby Union
Follow @SportsMole for the latest breaking news stories, and follow @sm_headlines to get every headline from Sports Mole
Recommended Next on SM
'Outstanding' Joe Marler wants to be part of World Cup campaign - Eddie Jones
Premier League confirms Forest four-point deduction

Page options

Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Arsenal28204470244664
2Liverpool28197265263964
3Manchester CityMan City28196363283563
4Aston Villa29175760421856
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs28165759421753
6Manchester UnitedMan Utd28152113939047
7West Ham UnitedWest Ham2912894650-444
8Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton2811985044642
9Wolverhampton WanderersWolves28125114244-241
10Newcastle UnitedNewcastle281241259481140
11Chelsea27116104745239
12Fulham29115134344-138
13Bournemouth2898114152-1135
14Crystal Palace2878133348-1529
15Brentford2975174154-1326
16Everton2887132939-1025
17Luton TownLuton2957174260-1822
18Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest2967163551-1621
19Burnley2945202963-3417
20Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd2835202474-5014
Scroll for more - Tap for full version

Subscribe to our newsletter


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.

history www

Premier League Team of the Season so far - Haaland, Rice, Van Dijk

1

PL

Lille's Yoro 'favours Real Madrid move over Man United, Chelsea'

2

LY

Lionel Messi to miss Argentina friendlies due to injury

3

LM

Arsenal, Liverpool, Man City 'in contention to sign Kimmich'

4

AL

Preview: Brann vs. Barcelona - prediction, team news, lineups

5

PB

Preview: Wang Xiyu vs. Emma Raducanu - prediction, form, head-to-head

6

PW

Chelsea to miss out on Jamal Musiala windfall?

7

CT

Nottingham Forest 'handed four-point deduction for PSR breach'

8

NF

Man United players 'open to Mason Greenwood return'

9

MU

Bruno Fernandes plays down injury fears after Liverpool clash

10

BF


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