Ahead of his first Test back as Japan head coach, the Australian explains how Owen Farrell might have been in Tokyo this weekend watching England in person rather than on RugbyPass TV.
As one of the best players in the world, 32-year-old Farrell would have had his pick of clubs after he decided to step away from the English rugby spotlight and try a new challenge in the Top 14 with Racing Metro next season.
The former England captain has signed for the Paris outfit on a deal reported to be £685,000 per year, but if money was his main motivation, England’s record points scorer could have opted to remain on a seven-figure sum at Saracens or move to Japan.
League One in Japan is booming and, according to Jones, in the latest episode of Walk the Talk with Jim Hamilton, it is currently home to the three best players in the world in All Blacks Ardie Savea and Richie Mo’unga and Springbok winger Cheslin Kolbe.
Farrell could have been amongst that number, too, had he accepted an offer to play his cub rugby in the Far East rather than in the Top 14.
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“We were keen on getting him over here (to Japan), but he ended up going to Racing, and I can understand why,” Jones reveals in the far-ranging and insightful interview.
“But when you are a good player like him, you have got options. I am glad to see he has made a decision, a good decision for his family, and I am sure he is going to enjoy his rugby at Racing.”
Jones speaks about how less intrusive the media is in Japan, allowing coaches and players to get on with their jobs without distraction.
That facet of life would certainly have appealed to Farrell, who despite being as tough as they come mentally, decided to step away from the England team because of online abuse.
Given he had such a close relationship with Farrell, Jones knows it would have had to be bad for the 112-cap England player to walk away.
“You played with him, and I was lucky enough to coach him,” he says to Hamilton. “There was never a tougher, more motivated, single-minded player.
“I didn’t follow it (the social media abuse) to be honest, I only heard bits and pieces, so I am putting some stuff together. But I am presuming at some stage the social media really got into Owen’s skin and affected him.
“You can see how difficult that is, when you consider the strength of his character and the strength of his love of rugby, that he had to basically say, enough is enough, I need a break and I need to go and play somewhere else.”
