Former Leinster boss Matt Williams believes that the appointment by England of John Mitchell to their staff is likely a succession plan for Eddie Jones.
Mitchell joined the England setup ostensibly as a defence coach, but rumours abound that Mitchell is in line for the head coach job when Jones eventually leaves. For Matt, this seems the most likely outcome, and he shed light on the working methods of the current England coach.
"That's what I thought it was - I thought it was an appointment for succession, rather than to be a defence coach.
“Johnny Mitchell – what hasn’t he done? He’s done New Zealand, he’s done the USA, the Western Force, South Africa on a number of occasions. John has an incredible library of experience.
“I have met him a number of times and he’s a great bloke, but I can’t see him being a number 2.
“He’s a dominant personality. That will be an interesting one, but if they’ve brought him in to get a year under his belt before Eddie [Jones] move on, then I think that’s a smart move.”
In terms of any eventual succession plan, Matt believes that the relationship between the two men may come under strain if they have different views on the England panel.
“If Eddie is putting him in as a defence coach – which he could do on his ear, asleep at night – then that’s OK.
“But you’ll never outwork Eddie Jones. He’s a workaholic. I have never seen or met a person who puts in more hours than Eddie Jones, and that is in a business where you have to put in a lot of hours. Eddie is incredible.
“He is also a very difficult person to talk around to another way, or another point of view. So how that pans out through the World Cup will be fascinating to watch.”
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