England Rugby defend their safeguarding policy after Danny Care likened Eddie Jones’ reign to ‘being bullied at school’ and ‘living in a dictatorship’

The RFU has defended its ability to provide adequate support and protection to players, following Danny Care’s revelations about a culture of fear under Eddie Jones, which he compared to “being bullied at school”.

In an extract from his forthcoming autobiography, Everything Happens for a Reason, Care recalled the uncomfortable atmosphere during Jones’ tenure in charge of England and said: “Did Eddie rule out of fear? Of course he did.

Everyone was terrified of him. Do you remember what it felt like when someone was being bullied at school and you were glad it wasn’t you? “That was the vibe.” The Harlequins scrum-half added that it was like “living in a dictatorship, under a despot who disappeared people.”

Care’s testimony about life under Jones, published by the Timesincluded accounts of players being subjected to mind games, savage treatment of staff and the horrific story of how Wasps flanker Sam Jones had his career ended by an accident during a judo wrestling exercise while on duty in England.

In response, the RFU emphasized that there was a system in place to report concerns, but this did not happen.

Danny Care (left) revealed he made a revelation about a culture of fear under Eddie Jones (right)

A spokesperson for the union said: “The elite game is a high-performance environment and we recognize that the demands of it can be challenging, which is why we offer a range of support services for players.”

“During their time in England, players made no complaints about Eddie Jones either to the RFU or through anonymous surveys or through our confidential whistleblowing service.

‘The RFU’s confidential whistleblowing service, which is aimed at all players and staff, is promoted each season and we always investigate any concerns that arise. We have been in contact with Danny Care, he has made it clear that he does not want to take any formal action and that he also praises Eddie highly in many areas of his book.’

Care’s account will raise new doubts about whether England’s coaches are subject to sufficient oversight by the RFU hierarchy.

There was constant speculation that Eddie Jones had become so powerful that he could act with impunity while in charge of the national team.

Care’s report will raise new doubts over whether England coaches are subject to sufficient oversight by the RFU hierarchy.

However, his successor, Steve Borthwick, meets weekly with the union’s chief executive, Bill Sweeney, and performance director, Conor O’Shea, who also regularly goes to camp to chat with players and assistant coaches.

There is a formal review process after each England campaign when a panel considers anonymous feedback from players and staff.