John Mitchell was leaving the England rugby camp to watch his Black Cap son Daryl play for Middlesex on his day off, when England rugby coach Eddie Jones told him to think again.
Jones caught up with Mitchell as he was leaving camp, The Times reported.
Jones asked him where he was going and Mitchell replied: “I’m going to the cricket.”
Watch the first match of the All Blacks’ Spring Tour, Wales vs New Zealand, streaming ad free, live and on demand on Sunday from 3.05am AEDT on Stan Sport. Start your seven day free trial here!
“No, you’re not,” Jones told him.
He had some work for Mitchell, his No.2, to do.
Mitchell, 57, went to the cricket.
READ MORE: All Blacks perform emotional haka for Sean Wainui
READ MORE: Stan Sport lands rights to spring tour Test matches
READ MORE: Quade bombshell forces Wallabies into big backflip
Soon after, his departure as assistant coach was announced.
On July 23, the RFU released a press statement saying Mitchell would leave his role as England’s defence coach, after the November series.
Mitchell, who coached the All Blacks from 2001 to 2003 and has a long coaching career worldwide, didn’t wait that long.
Days later, he had joined English club Wasps as assistant coach.
In February, he had signed a new England contract taking him through to the 2023 World Cup.
The Times rugby reporter Owen Slot relays the incident, as part of an extended investigation into why Australian Jones loses so many of his staff.
England are on to their third defence coach in the six years under Jones.
In four years up to the 2019 World Cup, England had five different sports psychologists.
Working for Jones is a relentlessly intense experience and Jones can be a brutal employer, Slot wrote.
Kiwi-born England hooker Dylan Hartley recalled Marland Yarde arriving at England’s Pennyhill base, “a bit bruised and battered” after a club game.
“Eddie greeted him with a bright ‘How are you feeling, mate?’ and the conversation quickly went downhill. ‘Oh, a bit tired.’ ‘F… off, mate.’ ‘What?’ ‘If you’re tired, f… off. I don’t want tired players here.’ As you can imagine, their cosy fireside chat echoed around the halls within minutes.”
Jones is said to scream at players in training, as if he wants them to snap back, so he can move them on, or just grind them down to the point of them not wanting to be there.
This article was originally published on stuff.co.nz and is reproduced with permission