Eddie Jones abuse could set worrying precedent and raises important question: just who exactly is to blame?

Was the abuse Jones suffered a result of simple drunken behaviour or is the wider system to blame?

Who is to blame for the abuse that Eddie Jones suffered while making his way from Edinburgh to Manchester last weekend?

The obvious answer is the alcohol-fuelled louts that deemed it acceptable to take advantage of the England head coach’s generosity by following up their selfie request, which Jones accepted, with verbal and physical abuse of the Australian ahead of his trip to Old Trafford.

The video, revealed by the BBC, captured a number of Scottish fans asking Jones for a photograph at Manchester Piccadilly train station before hurling disgraceful abuse at him, but was just one moment from Jones’ “uncomfortable” journey – one that has led him to decide against using public transport again. After getting into a car put on for him by Manchester United, one of the men in the video opened Jones’ door and shouted “baldy c***”.

The 58-year-old was also “jostled” on both his journey to Manchester and the subsequent one back to London, and while police are investigating the incident after meeting the train at Euston station, no arrests have been made and the England coach is keen to draw a line under the incident.

But one thing that Jones did mention when discussing the unsavoury incident was the rallying anti-England calls that went out from “responsible” figures in Scottish rugby ahead of last Saturday’s Calcutta Cup clash. Scotland prop Simon Berghan said before the match that he was aware of the Scottish “hatred” of England, while former Scotland captain Gavin Hastings made it much more personal towards Jones.

“I admire Eddie Jones for what he has achieved but as a supporter of one of his opponents you just want to rub his face in the dirt,” Hastings told City A.M last week. “He’s just one of those guys that loves to wind the opposition up and therefore if you were lucky enough to be part of a victory against him that would be a sight worth seeing.”

Were these comments part of the reason that certain individuals felt it acceptable to abuse Jones? When someone falls foul of the law, is the system to blame?

Eddie Jones found himself subject to abuse on his way to Manchester during the weekend (Getty)

Such comments are an obvious attempt to try and drum up the type of atmosphere seen at Murrayfield last Saturday, which proved to be one of the most passionate, raucous and partisan crowds seen in this year’s Six Nations campaign. With each passing score in the hosts’ 25-13 victory, Scotland’s fans seemingly grew an inch taller and come the end of the encounter, there was the residing feeling of being part of something very special.

Jones himself is guilty when it comes to fuelling the flames with his words. As recent as last month he did so to try and unnerve Wales fly-half Rhys Patchell ahead of his first game against England. It worked, and England won, but Jones was still criticised for unfairly singling out the Scarlets No 10.

But that’s where it should end, and for the likes of Berghan and Hastings, they will not have thought for a second that there was any hatred leftover. After all, the two teams have always engaged in post-match dinners at Murrayfield, where the H-word is very much the last one on everyone’s lips. Fans were seen to be enjoying drinks together in Edinburgh city centre and the famed ‘rugby spirit’ was very much alive.

Did Gavin Hastings stoke the fire with his words? (Getty)

Yet come Sunday morning, that all changed. Jones – happy to pose for pictures with numerous rugby fans that asked regardless of where they hailed from, suddenly found himself the subject of something, he revealed, he has faced before while attending a Bath match. Jones travels alone to matches where he is not coaching, and makes his own travel plans as a result. Given Sunday’s incident, the Rugby Football Union [RFU] are re-evaluating their security measures which could result in Jones having security personnel with him for all visits to club games and other sports. That only goes to increase the distance between fans and the players, coaches and teams they support – something that nobody wants.

Given the circumstances surrounding the incident, it’s hard to imagine that the individuals responsible for the abuse are the same type of rugby fans that turn out at Murrayfield or Scotstoun, or any other ground across the United Kingdom that holds club rugby every week. That type of behaviour just isn’t seen on the domestic stage, and when fans not quite familiar with the core values of rugby are then fuelled by alcohol, these type of disgraceful scenes arise.

While much of the blame will fall on the likes of Hastings and Berghan for rekindling the spirit of Bannockburn, they are not at fault. The war of words stops at the final whistle, and if people wish to take it forward and make it a personal attack – and in this case, a physical one too – then they are 100 per cent at fault and should be treated accordingly by the criminal system. Such abuse would not be acceptable in everyday life, and that goes for any coach of any team, no matter how big or small the sporting rivalry.