England head coach Eddie Jones stood by his assertion that Emma Raducanu is at risk of falling victim to off-court distractions, but has written to the tennis star to explain his comments.

Speaking after England’s 69-3 victory against Tonga, Jones used Raducanu as an example to English rugby’s golden boy Marcus Smith of the dangers of letting fame go to his head. Jones said there was “a reason” Raducanu “hasn’t done so well” since winning the US Open in September, despite the teenager only competing in two tournaments until that point. 

“What have you seen her on – the front page of Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar or whatever it is, wearing Christian Dior clothes,” Jones said. “All that is a distraction around her.”

His comments were widely criticised. Jo Durie, the former British No 1, told Telegraph Sport that they were “sexist comments” with no one ever complaining “about blokes going to galas; it’s always something that is thrown at women”.

Yet Jones, who has chosen to start Smith against Australia, doubled down on his opinion and complained that a comparison, which he made of his own volition, was taken out of context. “The whole point was how difficult it is for young players to cope with distractions,” Jones, 61, told the BBC.

“So the point I made was not wrong. I can’t control if it’s taken out of context. There was no criticism of Emma. I have sent her a letter just to reinforce that and hopefully we’ll see her at Twickenham shortly. 

“I don’t have any misgivings about what I said – I am disappointed it was taken out of context, and I would be disappointed if Emma was upset by it. It was deemed as being sexist and that was never the aim of the point.”

In his highest profile Test to date, Smith will start at fly-half against the Wallabies with captain Owen Farrell, who missed the Tonga victory as a result of a false positive Covid-19 test, shifting to inside centre. 

Coming on as a replacement against Tonga, Smith was treated to a thunderous ovation at Twickenham, but Jones is confident that the 22-year-old can cope with the growing expectations. 

“Marcus knows he’s got to build his game,” Jones said. “I’ve been really impressed by him since I started working with him on a daily basis since the summer tour. He’s progressing in a nice way but it’s his biggest Test — he hasn’t played a tier one country yet.”

No player has generated so much excitement and enthusiasm since Maro Itoje first burst onto the scene in 2015. Jones deliberately tried to play down those expectations famously comparing Itoje to a “Vauxhall Viva” at one stage.

Now Smith finds himself in Itoje’s slightly larger shoes, but the Saracens second row says the playmaker is keeping his feet on the ground. “I shared a room with Marcus last week, although it has changed now,” Itoje said. 

“Marcus is a brilliant individual. He’s a very, very down to earth type of guy. He is obviously extremely talented and he has a great attitude. 

“There’s not too much I need to say to him or do anything to him. He’s an extremely talented young man. He has a good head on his shoulders. I think he will be just fine.”

Itoje’s omission from leadership role underlines Jones’ suspicion of young superstars

By Oliver Brown

For all the opprobrium Eddie Jones invited through his dubious equivalence between Marcus Smith and Emma Raducanu, he has long been sceptical of those he perceives as overexposed before their time. Smith is hardly the first player under his watch to be scrutinised for signs of being puffed up prematurely. 

Take the curious case of Maro Itoje. It was December 2015, just a few weeks into Jones’ tenure, that the thrilling lock was being touted in several commentaries as the next England captain. But almost six years on, he still cannot even find a place in the team’s leadership group. Given that Itoje’s performances have only grown more authoritative during that time, the question arises as to whether the hype is holding him back.

While not averse to a little commercial moonlighting himself, Jones has long felt uneasy about the publicity machine around Itoje. 

At the start of the pair’s working relationship with England, Itoje’s advocates painted him as the game’s future: a dynamic, eloquent, photogenic star whose Nigerian ancestry and acute social conscience could tap into demographics previously unreached by rugby. Except Jones, never one to be swayed by sentiment, saw only a raw 21-year-old yet to prove himself at elite international level.

Ahead of Itoje’s first start for England at the 2016 Six Nations, the Australian banned him from uttering a word to journalists. “I don’t want him to be built up to be a headline before he’s a headline,” he said. “He doesn’t deserve media exposure. He has done nothing. Nothing.” 

As if Jones’ doubts were not plain enough, he used one of his trademark motoring analogies, likening Itoje to a Vauxhall Viva who needed to be transformed into a BMW.