Eddie Jones verbally abused after Calcutta Cup defeat

Footage has emerged of England coach Eddie Jones being verbally abused outside a Manchester train station on Sunday.

Jones had travelled from Edinburgh to Manchester by public transport to watch Manchester United’s match against Chelsea at Old Trafford. He took the train on Sunday morning following England’s defeat by Scotland in the Calcutta Cup at BT Murrayfield that ended their Six Nations Grand Slam hopes.

Related: Scotland 25-13 England match report

After posing for a photo with members of the public outside Manchester Oxford Road station, Jones was then subjected to verbal abuse as he got into a car waiting to take him to the football match.

The BBC’s Dan Roan has tweeted this footage of the incident – warning: the video contains offensive language:

Jones had opted to travel alone to Manchester on Sunday and subsequently took a train back to London following the match, where there were reportedly further incidents that made him uncomfortable.

Following these incidents on Sunday, Jones has said he will no longer travel by public transport.

“For me to travel on public transport, I thought was OK,” he said. “But I’ll make sure I won’t in future. It’s as simple as that. After a loss, no, I wouldn’t do it again.

“I never knock back a request for a selfie unless I’m racing off somewhere. So I try to do the right thing by the fans, but if that happens then you’ve got to have a look at your own safety.”

Comment from Rugby World editor Sarah Mockford

It is a disgrace that Eddie Jones has been subjected to such verbal abuse and I think everyone in rugby would condemn the actions of the people captured in this video as well as anyone else who taunted Jones.

Jones should be applauded for taking public transport and agreeing to requests for photos, but his generosity was thrown back in his face here.

This incident means he no longer feels able to do so because he fears for his personal safety. No one should be put in that position, whether the coach of a national sports team or Joe Bloggs on his regular commute.

The actions of a few mean that true rugby fans will not have the opportunity to engage with Jones in an informal manner on journeys such as these.

Rivalries are part of what makes sport so great and few go back as far as Scotland v England, but that rivalry should never spill over into this sort of disgraceful behaviour. Individuals should never be targeted with abuse and taunts, whether verbal or physical.

The actions of the people in this video – who should not be described as fans or supporters – go completely against rugby’s core values. Regardless of your sporting allegiances, everyone deserves respect and none was shown here.

As the Scottish Rugby Union said:

Let’s hope the authorities look into this incident and the people in this video are held to account.

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