This archive report was first published on 17 July 2020.
Published on July 17, 2020, the Rugby Football Union (RFU) is facing a significant financial crisis due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
England coach Eddie Jones has accepted a permanent 25% pay cut, worth £187,500, as the Rugby Football Union (RFU) deals with the financial fallout of the pandemic.
Jones, who is the highest-paid international coach in the sport, initially agreed to a temporary pay cut in March, along with CEO Bill Sweeney and other senior staff. The temporary cut was worth £187,500, and Jones has now accepted the permanent reduction.
"I don’t think it is any grand gesture by me. I was asked to do it, I understand the situation," Jones said in a teleconference. "Sometimes you have to make sacrifices. The sacrifice I am making personally as compared to some other people are making in sport and society is negligible."
Jones, a former teacher, has a history of making sacrifices for the greater good. He once worked unpaid for three months at a struggling school in Sydney, which eventually recovered and became one of the most prestigious in the city.
England's players are also likely to face cuts in their match fees, which currently stand at £25,000 per game. Jones believes that everyone must adapt to the current situation and make sacrifices where necessary.
"I think you've got to keep everything in perspective with what's happening in society," he said. "It's a difficult time for sport and we'll just have to adapt and that's part of the challenge for everyone at the moment."
