England v Japan: Ollie Lawrence says Eddie Jones’ criticism made him a better player
England center Ollie Lawrence says criticism from former manager Eddie Jones has prompted him to improve his level to meet the demands of Test rugby.
Lawrence made his England debut under Jones in October 2020 against Italy, but struggled with form and consistency under the Australian, who is now Japan coach.
Jones said in his 2021 book “Leadership” that Lawrence was “not hungry enough or disciplined enough.”
Lawrence made four appearances for England before Jones was sacked at the end of the 2022 autumn internationals.
The 25-year-old Bath powerhouse has become a mainstay in England’s midfield under Jones’ successor Steve Borthwick as his side face the Brave in Sunday’s final game of the Autumn Nations Series The flower team.
“I will always be very grateful to Eddie for giving me my first cap,” Lawrence told BBC Sport.
“He is a coach who likes to challenge his players and sometimes get the best out of them.
“He was very good to me. He humbled me and made me realize that I had to work hard to serve my country.
“It’s not enough to be a club standard, there’s another level.
“He made me see that and I thought it would be a good opportunity against his team on Sunday.”
Jones’ management style is Recently criticized in Danny Care’s book The former England defender claimed players were intimidated and belittled in a “toxic environment”.
The 37-year-old added that despite Jones’ demanding style, he was also the best coach he had ever worked with. Jones has previously denied his leadership of England was unreasonably harsh, claiming the country’s players were not put under enough pressure to improve.
England have lost their last five games and have not won since defeating Japan in Tokyo in June.
