England coach Jones gives Crystal Palace team talk

England rugby head coach Eddie Jones on Thursday visited Crystal Palace to give Alan Pardew’s team a motivational talk for their season run-in that concludes with the FA Cup final.

Palace on May 21 face Manchester United at Wembley Stadium but before then have a further three Premier League fixtures that could yet end with them in the bottom three.

Though it would take an unlikely run of results to relegate them, a return to the Championship remains a mathematical possibility, and in an attempt to maintain his team’s focus for Saturday’s trip to his former club Newcastle, Pardew invited Jones to talk to the players.

“We’re still not mathematically safe in the Premier League, which is why I asked Eddie Jones to come in, and he had a few words with the team about complacency and about what teams do,” said Pardew, 54, of the coach who led England to the Grand Slam.

“He’s been involved in World Cups with other nations, a multi-cutural personality, someone who is engaging. If they can’t take on board his comments then we’re in trouble.