BAGSHOT, England (AP) — England rugby coach Eddie Jones apologized on Thursday for appearing to make a joke that half-Asian people “all look the same.”

Jones, who was born to a Japanese-American mother and an Australian father, was asked at a news conference about his meditation practices, having said in June last year that he engages in mindfulness as part of his early morning routine.

In a response that was delivered with a smile, Jones said: "I don't think I've ever spoken about meditation. You must be thinking about someone else, maybe another half-Asian person.

After a pause and still smiling, he added: “Maybe we all look the same."

A private apology was later sought by the reporter who posed the question. Jones said sorry, shaking the reporter’s hand.

"Eddie made an off-the-cuff comment during the press conference which was not intended to cause any offense,” the Rugby Football Union said.

“He has subsequently spoken to the journalist privately explaining this and apologized, which was accepted.”

Jones was speaking ahead of the Six Nations match against Ireland on Sunday.

___

More AP sports: https://apnews.com/apf-sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports