England coach Eddie Jones forced to apologise after appearing to accuse reporter of racism

Eddie Jones was forced to make a hasty apology earlier today, after a bizarre exchange when the England head coach appeared to imply that a reporter had been racist towards him.

During a lunchtime press conference at the national team’s Surrey HQ, Jones was asked about the measures taken within the Red Rose set-up to help protect the players’ mental health, in an era of forensic social media scrutiny and sometimes fierce criticism. 

He was then asked if he still meditates – having previously suggested that he takes such steps to preserve his own mental well-being in a high-pressure role.

Jones replied: ‘I don’t think I’ve ever spoken about meditation. You must be thinking about someone else – maybe another half-Asian person. Maybe we all look the same.’

Following his appearance in front of the media, Jones learned that his comments had caused shock and incredulity. Having become aware that it may have come across as a claim of racism, he swiftly met the reporter and said sorry for any offence or misunderstanding.

Soon after that, an RFU spokesman said: ‘Eddie made an off-the-cuff comment during the press conference which was not intended to cause any offence. He has subsequently spoken to the journalist privately, explaining this and apologised, which was accepted.’