Ollie Lawrence Attributes Improved Play to Eddie Jones’ Criticism

England’s Ollie Lawrence (left) has been a starter in the team’s last nine matches. The upcoming Autumn Nations Series fixture between England and Japan is scheduled for Sunday, 24 November, with a 16:10 GMT kick-off at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham. Coverage will be available via live commentary on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra and BBC Sounds, alongside live text commentary on the BBC Sport website and app. England centre Ollie Lawrence has stated that critical feedback from his former coach, Eddie Jones, prompted him to elevate his performance to the level required for Test rugby. Lawrence first played for England under Jones in October 2020 against Italy. However, he experienced difficulties with his form and maintaining consistency during his time under the Australian coach, who currently leads the Japan national team. In his 2021 book, *Leadership*, Jones asserted that Lawrence had not been “hungry or disciplined enough.” Prior to Jones’ departure at the conclusion of the 2022 autumn internationals, Lawrence had accumulated four England caps. The 25-year-old Bath player has since established himself as a key figure in England’s midfield under Steve Borthwick, Jones’ successor. Borthwick’s team is set to face the Brave Blossoms in their concluding Autumn Nations Series fixture on Sunday. “I’ll always be very grateful to Eddie for my first cap,” Lawrence informed BBC Sport. He added, “He is a coach who likes to challenge players and can get the best out of players at times.” Lawrence continued, “He was good for me. He humbled me and made me realise how hard I had to work to play for my country.” “It wasn’t good enough to be club standard and there was another level to it,” he explained. “He opened my eyes to that and I think it will be a good opportunity to go against his side on Sunday,” Lawrence concluded. Jones’ coaching approach recently drew criticism in a book authored by former England scrum-half Danny Care, who alleged that players experienced intimidation and belittlement within a “toxic environment.” Care, 37, also stated that, notwithstanding Jones’ demanding methods, he considered him the finest coach he had ever collaborated with. Jones has previously refuted claims that his leadership of England was excessively harsh, contending instead that players in the country are not sufficiently challenged to develop. England has suffered defeats in their last five matches, with their most recent victory occurring in June when they comfortably defeated Japan in Tokyo. This losing streak includes a series whitewash in New Zealand, followed by home losses in the autumn against the All Blacks, Australia, and the reigning world champions, South Africa. The last time England lost five consecutive matches was in 2018, also under Jones. However, Lawrence insists that the players must assume responsibility for halting their current poor performance. “The biggest thing is making sure we put in a full 80-minute performance,” Lawrence stated. “We’ve been in games until 70 and even 80 minutes but we haven’t been able to finish it.” He continued, “There is only so much the coaches can do. They can present a gameplan and prepare us with scenarios but it’s up to us as players to make sure we put in that full performance.” Regarding the upcoming opponent, Lawrence noted, “Japan want to play an attacking style of rugby and they like to move the ball. We have to be disciplined and stick to the gameplan and let the scoreboard take care of itself.” “We won’t be going into this game with any idea other than to win the game, whether that is by one point or 40,” he affirmed.