Back in 2016, English rugby was rocked by a shock announcement.<\/p>\n
At just 26 years old,\u00a0Sam Jones\u00a0\u2014 a rising star for\u00a0Wasps\u00a0\u2014 was forced to walk away from the game. Not because of form. Not because of selection.<\/p>\n
Because of one brutal moment in training.<\/p>\n
The damage was done at an England camp run by\u00a0Eddie Jones. The setting? Brighton. The drill? A judo session.<\/p>\n
And the man he was paired with? None other than\u00a0Maro Itoje.<\/p>\n
Watch the Guinness Six Nations at your local\u00a0Greene King sports pub<\/a>.<\/p>\n Judo Session Gone Wrong<\/p>\n The injury occurred only a day after Jones played what would be his last-ever game\u2014a triumphant win against Harlequins on October 2, 2016. <\/p>\n \u201cI feel guilty that I haven\u2019t been able to be more transparent about my injury,\u201d Jones admitted, revealing the impact of the incident. <\/p>\n Partnered with Maro Itoje during the judo exercise, Jones made it clear he doesn\u2019t hold any grudges.<\/p>\n \u201cMaro Itoje has texted me several times throughout the process. I don\u2019t blame him at all,\u201d he emphasised.<\/p>\n Join the\u00a0RUCK\u2019s WhatsApp community here<\/a>\u00a0and get the latest news sent straight to your messages.<\/p>\n For Jones, the high-pressure environment of England camp was all about pushing boundaries. \u201cThe intensity of the environment is geared to take you out of your comfort zone at all costs and at that time it was working. <\/p>\n \u201cI suppose that\u2019s what happened \u2014 I was out of my comfort zone and that was the aim. These things happen,\u201d he reflected.<\/p>\n From Rugby to Restaurants<\/p>\n Post-rugby, Jones has found a new calling in the vibrant London dining scene. He now runs a contemporary Sri Lankan restaurant in Soho called Paradise<\/a>.<\/p>\n The spot is praised for its \u201ctop-quality Sri Lankan food\u201d with \u201cinteresting flavours,\u201d combining South Asian spices with the finest British produce. The place is always buzzing, thanks in part to a low-intervention wine list curated by consultant Zeren Wilson. <\/p>\n A different kind of scrum, but one where Jones is thriving.<\/p>\n