Bruce Craig sounds like the Donald Trump of rugby – Jones hits back at Bath owner

England coach Eddie Jones has described Bruce Craig as “the Donald Trump of rugby” after his methods were questioned by the Bath owner.

In an interview with The Times, Craig criticised Jones after Beno Obano became the latest Bath player to pick up a serious injury while away on international duty with England.

The prop could be out of action for a year after suffering “multiple ligament and hamstring tendon damage” during a training camp in Brighton.

Asked about the comments on his arrival in South Africa ahead of England’s Test series against the Springboks, Jones fired back by comparing Craig to the president of the United States – including his choice of hairstyle.

“Bruce Craig sounds like the Donald Trump of rugby. He has the same hairstyle,” Jones told the media in Durban.

“Everything we do is about training to get better, it’s not about satisfying some bloke who has got plenty of money in Bath and thinks he knows everything about rugby. I find it all a bit tedious.”

Jones also stated his players train “appropriately” for the intensity of a Test match, and suggested Craig had become “obsessed” by the matter.

“We’ve got an owner who thinks he knows everything about rugby. Really, I wish I knew that much.

“If I knew that much I’d probably have as much money as him. Unfortunately, I don’t, so I’ll just stick to rugby.

“Bruce is absolutely obsessed by intensity, Bruce is the intensity king of the world. We train appropriately for Test match rugby.”

England face South Africa in Johannesburg on June 9 in the first Test, with the series also including fixtures in Bloemfontein and Cape Town.

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