Ex-England Rugby Boss Eddie Jones Banned After Referee Abuse

Former England Rugby head coach Eddie Jones has been fined and banned for abusing match officials last month.

The incident occurred while Jones, who now coaches Japan, was in Australia during an under-23 tour.

The Japanese Rugby Football Union (JRFU) opted to suspend Jones for six weeks due to the "seriousness of the matter".

He will therefore not be allowed any contact or involvement in the national side's next four games.

Eddie Jones Banned For Four Games

As a result of his ban, Jones will miss Japan's opening Nations Championship fixture against Italy on 4 July.

The Brave Blossoms then play two games against a Hong Kong China select side, followed by a warm-up match against the Maori All Blacks.

The JRFU has also imposed a salary reduction on Jones, who says he "deeply regretted" his actions and accepts the punishment.

Jones added: "Some inappropriate remarks that I made caused discomfort to local match officials and other related parties."

"I would like to offer my sincere apologies to everyone involved."

The Japanese under-23 side won three of their four matches on tour. That included a 38-21 victory against Sydney club Randwick in their final match, Jones' former club.

This is not the first time the Australian coach has been in hot water for his behaviour. In 2022, while coaching England to a series win in Australia against his home country, he was involved in heated exchanges with fans, who called him a 'traitor' for coaching against Australia.

Jones then left his role with England and returned to coach the Wallabies. However, Australia crashed out of their home World Cup at the pool stage, with Jones leaving his role as head coach.

He has since returned to Japan, the side he coached to a famous win over South Africa's Springboks during the 2015 World Cup.

Known as the 'Brighton Miracle', it remains one of the biggest upsets in the history of sport.