Eddie Jones contract extension is a good bit of business by the RFU

It was 14 years ago that Sir Clive Woodward stood in the self-same room at Twickenham where Eddie Jones’ contract extension was formally announced and let rip with a volley of criticism that left many in the RFU pock-marked from the verbal shots fired.

No planning, no foresight, no long-term view, no commitment was the gist of Woodward’s critique.

From rancour to harmony, from ad-hoc to strategic vision, from a splintered regime fighting fires on the political front to a joined-up union with a plan. From 2004 to 2018, a drawn-out, cobbled-together journey if ever there was one.

There are still certain misgivings about the detail in Eddie Jones’ contract extension, such as what happens if the new man does not want to be baby-sat by Jones for 18 months or what exactly constitutes a performance-related break-clause should it all go belly-up at the Rugby World Cup in Japan in 2019 (quarter-final exit not acceptable, narrow defeat in the semi-final to the All Blacks just about ok is my view), but the key thing is that for the first time in the professional era the RFU has an idea of what they want the succession to look like.

READ MORE: Eddie Jones signs new England contract

It was chaos after Woodward stomped away in high dudgeon in 2004. The RFU had put all their efforts into helping win the World Cup in 2003. And precisely zero thought into what might come afterwards. It has been the same scenario ever since, essentially knee-jerk reactions to whatever scenario unfolded.

This time there is a sense of clarity and decisiveness, a mood that has the added benefit of permeating through to the England squad itself. They will not be pondering the caveats, worried that the mentor type set-up might sound good on paper and actually prove as unworkable and unsuccessful as the Matt Busby-Wilf McGuinness arrangement of long ago or the Alex Ferguson and David Moyes situation at Old Trafford of more recent vintage where the Anointed One never manage to escape Fergie’s substantial shadow.

Those future realities – is the next coach to be an international trainee feeling his way or a heavy-hitter drafted to do as Eddie Jones has done, a Rob Baxter or a Steve Hansen ? – are for another day. What did come across is that RFU chief executive, Steve Brown, will make it work. ‘There are no strict barriers,’ is how he put it. The sporting business is rarely clear-cut except on the scoreboard. Everywhere else, it is diffuse and dynamic, ever-changing in context.

The RFU has taken the right first step. It has bought itself breathing space. Neither it or Jones or the team wanted the potential distraction of potential candidates to take over  post the World Cup doing the rounds for the next 18 months.

It makes perfect sense for Jones to put his retirement plans for cricket and rum-and-coke in the Caribbean on hold. The 57 year old would surely have had plenty of consultancy offers if he had walked away in 2019 but such is his relentless nature that being removed from the sharp-end of preparing for the ready-reckoner of match-day – from rooster to feather duster as another former Australia coach, Alan Jones, used to put it – is quite a fix to give up easily. And he is now in the mix for the 2021 Lions tour to South Africa.

Brown stated on Wednesday that he had never come across anyone that worked as hard as Jones. It was a compliment although there have been drop-outs down the years from Jones’ back-up staff such are the rigours of working with him. It was put to Jones that his ‘abrasive’ style might only be suited to being in situ for short-term (four years) periods.  Jones took time mulling that one and didn’t commit to an answer.

The only thing that matters about his reputation for being blunt, to the point and a hard taskmaster is that the England players love the environment. They feed off Jones’ energy and workaholicism. They may live in the moment, mindful that they could be dropped the following week, but this contract news will be a boost for them.

Woodward’s invective made for splendid theatre on the day. More’s the pity that it has taken 14 years for someone to take proper notice. New Zealand have been doing succession planning for generations. England, finally, have got in on the act.