Felix Jones: Rassie Erasmus keen for England insights
South Africa’s head coach Rassie Erasmus said he would use assistant Felix Jones’ new knowledge of England and its rivals in the northern mountains, but denied that the Irishman’s short life span in Twickenham was part of any intentional strategy.
Jones won the back-to-back Rugby World Cup in South Africa before joining England as a national defense coach in January 2024.
However, he resigned in just seven months. His return to South Africa employees announced last week.
“I don’t want people to think it’s a plan to get him there and come back,” Erasmus said.
“We all hoped he would work, and I can’t comment on why it didn’t work in England. But it was great to have him back because we never wanted to lose him.”
Jones previously had a role with South Africa focusing on attack and core skills, but Erasmus said the 37-year-old’s time to focus on defense in different environments will make him a bigger asset to Springbok.
He added: “Obviously, Felix will learn a lot and we hope he can share some of these things with us.”
“We do think we’ve missed something and we can do better, and Felix will play a crucial role in that. No coach hasn’t sent me things he wants Felix to be involved in in his department.”
England is not on South Africa’s 2025 fixture list, while the Bull Jump plays France, Italy, Ireland and Wales on the fall trip to the Northern Hemisphere.
Erasmus added: “We are not playing England, but in the future he will coach with teams from six other countries.”
“We know exactly what his character will be with us, and if we are going to work hard in the first place, those little brinks might help us with what Felix brings.”
After Jones left and changed his tactics, England has hired Joe El-Abd as national defense coach and emphasized the speed of the super attack line.
