Felix Jones: I owe Rassie and Jacques absolutely everything
GRATEFUL: Felix Jones (right) says he will be eternally grateful to Rassie Erasmus (left) and Jacques Nienaber (not pictured) as he prepares for the final chapter of his stint with South Africa. Pic: INPHO/Morgan Treacy
Felix Jones admits it will be a wrench to leave South Africa when he joins the England staff for 2024 but he will do so eternally grateful for the opportunities he has been given by Rassie Erasmus and Jacques Nienaber.
The former Munster full-back and assistant coach is entering the home straight on his four-year tenure with the Springboks that began in spectacular style with their 2019 World Cup success in Japan. Next stop will be Twickenham, and a place on Steve Borthwick’s post-tournament coaching ticket. It seems like a natural progression on Jones’ career trajectory notwithstanding he will be in the unusual position of being an Irishman in the England camp.
"It's a bigger deal for my family and friends!” Jones said following a Springboks media session at SA Rugby’s Cape Town headquarters.
"I think professionalism has gone to such a stage that it's not as big a factor as it would have been many years ago.
"It's not lost on me, but it's a professional game and I'm treating it very professionally."
This autumn's tournament in France will be the last hurrah for the Boks' coaching band of brothers with SA Rugby director of rugby Erasmus also looking for a new head coach following his long-term associate Nienaber's decision to replace Stuart Lancaster as senior coach at Leinster.
Jones spoke of the impact both Erasmus and Nienaber have had on his coaching career, handing him his first gig on the Munster staff after a neck injury forced the then 28-year-old to quit playing, and then bringing the Dubliner into the Test arena.
"I owe Rassie and Jacques absolutely everything from the point of view of getting me in at Munster in the first place," Jones said.
"Then, over here; dealing with the players, the other staff and generally South African people has been an incredible thing.
"During the Lions (2021 tour), we were here as a family for six months. My two boys were in school in Paarl, it's been a great experience for the last four and a half years.
"It'll be very tough (to leave). We're all very honest and open, if we needed to do something we wanted it done before the World Cup and we put ourselves in a position where we can fully focus on the World Cup.
"It was a very, very difficult position; I've loved my time here and my focus is still fully here.
"But to focus fully on the World Cup, I needed to have that wrapped up."
While he heads to a new job in London, Nienaber will be returning to Ireland six years on from his and Erasmus's shock Munster departure. Leinster, Jones feels, are getting a quality coach and first-rate human being.
"When you first become a coach and coming from the situation I came from where I took a couple of months between retiring and coaching, nobody hands you a manual when you become a coach and says this is exactly how you do it, this is the process, this is your work-flow and how you should set up your week, how you deal with certain players, the analyse the opposition... you really don't know.
"You think you know rugby when you retire, but you quickly realise you don't.
"I was very lucky that I had two great guys there to mentor me, certainly early on with Munster where he would sit with me for four or five hours after a full day's training where you'd go through how he built a week.
"From a process point of view, that was the thing I was most grateful for.
"Then, getting to know him over the next couple of years he's a great guy. I owe him a lot."
There is still Springbok business to attend to with Nienaber on Saturday naming his Rugby Championship squad, including a return for Munster's RG Snyman, while outside the bubble eyes have already turned to the World Cup title defence, including a pivotal pool clash with Ireland in their penultimate fixture in Paris on September 23. The focus remains very much on more immediate concerns, South Africa kicking off a shortened tournament with a home game against Argentina at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria on July 8.
"We still very much have a focus on The Rugby Championship and if you lose a couple of games you don't go into the World Cup with momentum and belief.
"We've had tough games against New Zealand, Australia and Argentina over the last three years, so yes everyone knows it's a World Cup year and it's always scratching at the back of your head; but it's the first time we've had Australia in South Africa in quite a while, first away game in New Zealand for quite a while, so then there's Argentina who have pulled out some phenomenal results in the last few years."
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