Former Springbok assistant coach Felix Jones has officially left his employment with England’s Rugby Football Union (RFU), concluding a brief and confusing stint.
“The RFU can confirm that England Rugby men’s assistant coach Felix Jones will step down from his role today,” the RFU said in a statement on Friday.
Jones joined Steve Borthwick’s England staff earlier this year but reportedly grew unhappy with what was described as an “unstable working environment.”
The RFU held Jones to the 12-month notice period on his contract, despite his desire to leave the position after just eight months, instead assigning him to “remote analysis duties” away from the squad, which caused some confusion as it was later confirmed Jones had no direct contact with the players.
He joined England with high expectations around his potential impact, having been a member of Rassie Erasmus’ Springbok management team during the 2019 and 2023 World Cup triumphs. But his departure after one Six Nations campaign and a tour of New Zealand cast doubts on the team’s stability.
Jones’ exit follows a broader shake-up in Borthwick’s coaching team, including the earlier departure of another former member of Erasmus’ staff, high-performance coach Aled Walters, who moved to Ireland.
Joe El-Abd has since replaced Jones as England’s defence coach.
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