Footage has emerged of England rugby boss Eddie Jones suffering abhorrent verbal abuse from Scotland fans at a train station on Sunday afternoon.
The England head coach left Edinburgh the morning after Saturday’s shock Six Nations defeat by Scotland at Murrayfield — catching the 9.15am train which arrived in Manchester at around 12.30pm in order to attend Manchester United v Chelsea at Old Trafford as a guest of Sir Alex Ferguson.
However, Jones was physically and verbally harassed at Manchester Oxford Road station — and on Wednesday he spoke about an ordeal which has left him resigned to avoiding public transport in the aftermath of Test matches.
Footage emerged of England boss Eddie Jones being abused and accosted by Scotland fans in Manchester after his side suffered defeat in Edinburgh last weekend
Jones had initially stopped for photos on Sunday at a train station in Manchester
After he was swarmed by the men, the Australian was quickly hustled into the waiting car with the help of his driver (red tie) and a station staff member (blue coat)
VIDEO EXCLUSIVE: England coach Eddie Jones being verbally abused as he arrived in Manchester on Sunday after rail journey from Edinburgh. Disgusting after he was good enough to pose for photos. Now says doesn’t feel safe on public transport. (Warning: contains offensive language) pic.twitter.com/z2RetgKZOG
— Dan Roan (@danroan) March 1, 2018
And footage has now emerged of Jones, who stopped to take photographs with four Scottish supporters, being subjected to the vile taunts on Sunday afternoon.
Jones was hustled into the waiting car, but one followed him to the car, in which he was being taken to Old Trafford from the train station in Manchester, before he aggressively asked: ‘What happened last night you baldy c***?’
A pair of the Scots then began to chant: ‘You’re a baldy f****** c*** on your own!’
Hours later, Jones experienced another uncomfortable journey on the train down to London and the whole experience has left him shaken.
Asked why he had opted to travel alone, so soon after a volatile fixture and as a high-profile figure, he said: ‘I’m a human being. I don’t consider myself any different from anyone else.
One man followed Jones to his car, which was waiting to take him to Old Trafford
The man opened the door as another chanted and one filmed on his mobile phone
Two of the men started chanting in unison: ‘You’re a baldy ‘f****** c*** on your own!’
Jones said on Wednesday he will ensure he does not travel on public transport in the future
Scottish Rugby is appalled by the verbal abuse suffered by Eddie Jones. The disgusting behaviour of those involved does not represent the values of our sport or its fans. The dignity Eddie and the England team showed on Saturday is in stark contrast to this ugly incident.
— Scottish Rugby (@Scotlandteam) March 1, 2018
‘For me to travel on public transport, I thought was OK. 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.’ It is understood that Jones was alarmed by inflammatory comments made by Gavin Hastings in the run-up to the Calcutta Cup clash, when the legendary former Scotland full-back declared he would ‘love to rub Eddie Jones’s face in the dirt’.
When pressed on why he felt he could no longer travel on public transport at certain, sensitive times, Jones said: ‘Well, I can’t because it was shown on Sunday what happens when I do.
‘That’s the world we live in and also I think it magnifies that if you’re in a position of responsibility, you’ve got to be careful with what you say.
‘If you talk about hate and rubbing people’s noses in the dirt, it incites certain behaviours and are they the sorts of behaviours we want to see?’
The abuse took place in the wake of Scotland’s Calcutta Cup victory over England on Saturday
The coach headed from Edinburgh to Manchester to attend Manchester United v Chelsea
He sat next to Manchester United icon Sir Alex Ferguson and exchanged pearls of wisdom
Jones on Wednesday admitted he had been ‘surprised’ and shaken up by what happened
Jones admitted he had been ‘surprised’ by what happened, despite revealing he encountered a similar situation once before in Bath during his time as England head coach.
He is generally prepared to interact with supporters, but in this latest incident he was concerned about his personal wellbeing.
‘I never knock back a request for a selfie unless I’m racing off somewhere,’ he said. ‘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.’
Asked if the abuse had been verbal or physical, he added: ‘A bit of both. It’s part of the challenge. When I came to England, I knew there were going to be challenges. As an Australian coaching England, there were always going to be challenges and that’s just one of them. We march on — we’ve got a game against France.’
Scottish Rugby tweeted on Thursday morning to say they were ‘appalled’ by the ‘disgusting’ behaviour of the individuals in the video.
‘Scottish Rugby is appalled by the verbal abuse suffered by Eddie Jones,’ the tweet read. ‘The disgusting behaviour of those involved does not represent the values of our sport or its fans.
‘The dignity Eddie and the England team showed on Saturday is in stark contrast to this ugly incident. ‘
‘We march on — we’ve got a game against France,’ said the England boss after the incident