England call time on players’ use of mobile phones

England players are to have restrictions placed on their use of mobile phones as part of a drive to improve skill levels leading into the next World Cup.

The crackdown on electronic devices will begin today on the instruction of visual awareness coach Dr Sherylle Calder, who has been added to Eddie Jones’s backroom staff on a consultancy basis until Japan 2019. Calder, whose CV details spells with elite golfers, Formula 1 drivers, and NFL teams, insists the immersion into smartphones and tablets as part of contemporary life is inhibiting the development of players.

“In the modern world, the ability of players to have good awareness is deteriorating by the nature of mobile phones, etc,” said Calder, who stated that she would recommend players are told to limit their exposure to technology.