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Felix Jones is back with the Springboks after an ill fated spell as assistant coach with England, and is eager to make a difference.
Springbok assistant coach Felix Jones oversees players during a training session in Johannesburg ahead of the start of the international season. Picture: Daniel Hlongwane/Gallo Images
Springbok assistant coach Felix Jones is excited to be back with the team and is looking forward to helping them continue to improve as they build towards the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia.
Jones was a key member of the Boks‘ double World Cup winning campaigns in Japan and France, but chose to leave at the end of 2023 due to personal reasons, with his family at the time based in Ireland.
He was then brought into the England coaching system under Steve Borthwick, but unfortunately things didn’t work out.
With Jones available again, Bok coach Rassie Erasmus was quick to snap him back up earlier this year, and he faced the media last week for the first time since his return to the Bok camp.
“It’s been really exciting. I get to work with coaches with whom I have a strong relationship. I’m learning a lot from the way they (the Boks) have evolved. From 2019 to 2023 I watched the team change and evolve over that time and coming back in now I can see it has continued,” said Jones.
“That’s one of the great strengths of this group, they never stand still. They are constantly looking to improve, and that’s one of the most exciting things for me coming back in.”
Different environment
Having experienced a different team environment in the UK, before joining the Boks in 2019 and after leaving, albeit over a short period, Jones was asked about some of the similarities and differences he had experienced between other teams and the Boks.
“The similarities are that all the players are extremely driven at this level. Anyone that plays international rugby, because they are talented and they have a work ethic and approach to how they conduct themselves. So that is the same,” explained Jones.
“But probably the biggest difference with South Africa in my experience is the diversity with which we call upon people. People from different parts of the country, from different backgrounds, some that are playing rugby in different countries.
“So that’s the biggest difference. That we are able to draw upon those different sources, if I can call it that, and trying to boil it all down to one thing is a challenge. But it is also one of the great strengths, and when you get it right it can be quite special.”
Jones will likely add plenty to a stacked Bok coaching group, with Erasmus, Deon Davids, Mzwandile Stick and Daan Human having all been together since 2018, and Tony Brown, Jerry Flannery and Duane Vermeulen all new arrivals since 2023.
