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Eddie Jones has come under fire for his comments regarding tennis sensation Emma Raducanu with some people now calling the England rugby coach "sexist".
The Aussie made the remarks when discussing English rugby's hottest prospect Marcus Smith.
After bursting onto the scene by guiding Harlequins to a Premiership victory, 22-year-old Smith was advised by his national team coach to avoid any off-field distractions and focus solely on rugby.
But in making his point, Jones decided it'd be appropriate to make a comparison with another rising sports star in US Open winner Raducanu - a statement which has now backfired massively.
"There's a reason why the young girl who won the US Open hasn't done so well afterwards," Jones said.
"What have you seen her on - the front page of Vogue and Harper's Bazaar or whatever, wearing Christian Dior clothes."
Raducanu was catapulted into the spotlight after her historic US Open victory as a wildcard entry and has only lost two matches since.
The comments instantly landed Jones in hot water as fans piled into him on social media.
One person who didn't take too kindly to Jones' remarks was former world No.5 and fellow Brit Jo Durie.
"No-one ever complains about blokes going to galas - it's always something that is thrown at women," Durie told The Telegraph.
"Emma isn't a girl. She's an 18-year-old woman. Unfortunately, when you're this famous, everybody likes to have their opinion about you.
"I don't know her well myself but she seems to have a good head on her shoulders.
"She just needs to play for at least a season and get used to life on the Tour before anyone expects anything else from her."
Former Olympic gold-medallist hockey player Kate Richardson-Walsh also slammed Jones.
She said: "It's certainly important for everyone to think about distractions... It's also really important not to be an ill-informed, patronising, hypocritical misogynist."
Respected TV presenter Gabby Logan had her say on the matter too, adding: "Unbelievably unfair and not even remotely comparable.
"She is 18 in her first six months of being pro.
"She made the second week of Wimbledon and won the US Open having never played on the Tour.
"Imagine an 18-year-old rugby player winning a World Cup having never played a club game.
"My point was two Tour defeats after winning a Major does not make a catastrophe. Nor having endorsements equals inevitable career decline.
"Cristiano Ronaldo, Serena Williams and many more have done okay on both commercial and sporting fronts."
This is a bit dumb and insensitive from Eddie Jones - 2 defeats in 4 matches is flimsy evidence. Also Smith's rise to the top has been phased over 4 years, totally unlike that of ER. https://t.co/aI6fRRGSju
- Mike Dickson (@Mike_Dickson_DM) November 8, 2021
Slightly gratuitous, this dig by Eddie Jones at Emma Raducanu. Her Vogue cover shoot was pre-US Open, and she has lost just two matches since https://t.co/dKpd9qBRmg pic.twitter.com/iF8iR7IvUg
- Oliver Brown (@oliverbrown_tel) November 7, 2021
Just in case the man who is head coach of England men's rugby team needed some help with recalling the name of "the young girl who won the US Open", she does actually has a name. She is called Emma Raducanu.
Thank me later Eddie Jones. https://t.co/vHTY5JMWMD
- Bobby Seagull (UK Libraries Champion @CILIPinfo) (@Bobby_Seagull) November 8, 2021
This is madness, Eddie Jones didn't even seem to know Emma Raducanu's name while he was slandering her https://t.co/P2iisq2GGg
- Jessica Hayden (@_JessHayden) November 7, 2021
Extremely harsh from Eddie Jones here.
Firstly, she's called Emma Raducanu. And secondly, Marcus Smith hasn't just won a major title.
28 minutes of exciting Rugby in an Autumn series isn't the same league as winning a grand slam. She's entitled to enjoy it! https://t.co/DUqgQK3AKL
- Chris Brown (@ChrisBrownSport) November 7, 2021
Eddie Jones calling Emma Raducanu 'the young girl who won the US Open' makes his comments all the more patronising and infuriating.
Fyi, today Raducanu made her debut in the top 20 world rankings - marking a continued *upward* trajectory since her US Open win...
- Molly McElwee (@molly_mcelwee) November 8, 2021
The comments by Eddie Jones about Emma Raducanu are uninformed, irresponsible, sexist nonsense.
Young woman who has barely played professional tennis wins US Open, and he cites her commercial appearances as evidence for her 'not doing so well' (won 2, lost 2) since.
- David Law (@DavidLawTennis) November 8, 2021
But while some flocked to social media to chime in, others weren't onboard with the notion that Jones' comments were in any way sexist - former England rugby player James Haskell being one of them.
Haskell leapt to the defence of his former coach, saying: "Honestly how you think this is sexist is beyond me.
"It's a point about distraction and the pitfalls of fame; that can happen to anyone. I can see you desperately want to incite the cancel mob, but you are going to need to do better than that.
"Where is the sexism? You are just saying it to insight a riot.
"You and I both know you said that so everyone would jump in.
"She is the most relevant example of a current athlete. Gender is not relevant. It's OK to say you overreacted because you felt passionate."
Featured Image Credit: PA
Topics: Rugby, Emma Raducanu, Rugby Union, Australia