Rugby-England coach Jones agrees to pay cut to help RFU

England coach Eddie Jones has accepted a pay cut of over 25% to help ease the financial burden on the Rugby Football Union (RFU) which is set to lose millions of pounds due to the coronavirus pandemic. The RFU faces losses of up to 50 million pounds ($61 million) over the next year-and-a-half due to the outbreak but will still provide a 7 million-pound relief package to community clubs in the country.

"Eddie is overseas at present and when I contacted him regarding our executive pay reduction proposals he immediately agreed," RFU CEO Bill Sweeney said on Thursday. Jones led England to the Rugby World Cup final in Japan last year where they lost to South Africa.

Sweeney said on Wednesday that the RFU Executive Team would be taking a pay cut in excess of 25%. The pandemic has brought sport worldwide to a standstill and the RFU and Welsh rugby's governing body, the WRU, confirmed last week the end of the 2019-20 season for all league, cup and county rugby, with the exception of the English Premiership.

England's top-flight competition is suspended until at least April 24, with nine rounds and the playoffs still to be played. Four Six Nations matches were also postponed due to the coronavirus.

($1 = 0.8224 pounds)

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