England fans decide whether Eddie Jones has addressed the issues flagged in France
Following the 24-17 loss to France on Sunday in the opening game of the Six Nations, much of the rhetoric from England coach Eddie Jones has been around refusing to make changes and not listening to fans.
The Australian has always been quite conservative with alterations between matches – regardless of the result – and this has brought him a lot of success. He has plenty of trust in his players and often backs them to come good.
However, after a humbling loss in Paris, where England trailed 24-0 at one point, there were vocal demands all week for changes and Jones has responded by making five to the starting XV.
The decision to drop Ben Youngs to the bench and promote Willi Heinz has proved popular, as the veteran scrum-half did not have his best game in France.
The Gloucester nine posed a threat in the latter stages of that Test and had England looking more dangerous when carrying near the ruck during their fightback.
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Likewise, Lewis Ludlam creates a more balanced back row and brings slightly more potency in attack than his Northampton Saints team-mate Courtney Lawes did last weekend.
The lock by no means had a bad game at blindside but is still better suited to the engine room in the scrum. Maro Itoje’s long-time England and Saracens partner George Kruis comes in for Charlie Ewels, in what is another move that has proved popular.
Had to be changes after Paris. Good to see Heinz starting https://t.co/wEUjjlYQS6
— James Barker (@LWOS_JBarker) February 6, 2020
Buzzing for Willi Heinz starting against the Scots tomorrow. He changed the game last time out against France. Very calm presence on the squad #SCOvENG
— Jake (@JakeAtkins96) February 6, 2020
Lawes and uncapped Ben Earl will also provide an almighty impact from the bench, which is perhaps what England lacked in Paris.
The Saracen offers pace and power in the back row while towering lock Lawes has put in some of his best performances for England in cameos from the bench, with his trademark bone-crunching tackles in the final quarter.
Tom Dunn is also poised to make his debut from the bench, replacing Luke Cowan-Dickie who has returned home for personal reasons.
Liking the balance now. Kruis had to come back in. Give Furbank another chance at FB. Heinz at SH much better than Youngs. Curry at 8 needs to prove himself in that position however. Buzzing to be in Edinburgh this weekend – come on ENG! https://t.co/ssWjJOaAk6
— Alexander Kelly (@alexanderkelly_) February 6, 2020
Positives:
Kruis should improve the line out.
At least there are three back row players.
It felt like Youngs' position has been too comfortable and it'll do him no harm to be dropped.
Pleased Genge has kept his place.— Stephen Allen (@Elephantlens) February 6, 2020
With that being said, there are still some aspects of the selection that have not been well received, chiefly the insistence to play Tom Curry at No8.
However, after saying that he wanted to turn the Sale Sharks man into a specialist in that position, it would have been strange if Jones bowed to the demands of fans. In a more balanced back row, this decision may actually pay off in Murrayfield.
Don't know why Curry is at 8, he's a superb 7 and should be put there and draft in a number 8. Glad to see Heinz get the start, should have happened a while ago though
— Ben Hardwick (@benn121) February 6, 2020
Other than Curry at 8 it looks far more balanced
— Sidney (@SidneyUnchained) February 6, 2020
Elsewhere, Ollie Thorley looked tipped to earn his first cap this weekend following the injury to Manu Tuilagi. While Jonathan Joseph has moved into a starting berth, Jones has opted to fill the vacant space on the bench with Joe Launchbury, making a 6-2 forwards/backs split.
This has rarely been done by the coach before and may be influenced by forwards coach Matt Proudfoot, but in what are going to be testing conditions in Edinburgh, this is an insight into how England are approaching the game.
What does Ollie thorley need to do to get in the 23?! What a joke
— Ash Skinner (@AshleySkinner19) February 6, 2020
Mako Vunipola was always expected to return to the squad, having missed out through injury to Joe Marler against Fabien Galthie’s side. England lacked his prowess with the ball in hand against a brutal French defence, and this is yet another change that brings more promise ahead of the Calcutta Cup Test.
A response is expected from England this weekend as they hope to get their campaign back on track, and Jones looks to have addressed many of the issues that were flagged in France.
WATCH: The Rugby Pod sets the scene ahead of round two of the Guinness Six Nations
Comments on RugbyPass
Did footballs agents also perform the scout role at some time? I’m surprised more high profile players haven’t taken up the occupation, great way to remain in the game and use all that experience without really requiring a lot of specific expertise?
1 Go to commentsSuper rugby is struggling but that has little to do with sabbaticals. 1. Too many teams from Aust and NZ - should be 3 and 4 respectively, add in 2 from Japan, 1 possibly 2 from Argentina. 2. Inconsistent and poor refereeing, admittedly not restricted to Super rugby. Only one team was reffed at the breakdown in Reds v H’Landers match. Scrum penalty awarded in Canes v Drua when No 8 had the ball in the open with little defence nearby - ideal opportunity to play advantage. Coming back to Reds match - same scrum situation but ref played advantage - Landers made 10 yards and were penalised at the breakdown when the ref should have returned to scrum penalty. 3. Marketing is weak and losing ground to AFL and NRL. Playing 2 days compared with 4. 4. Scheduling is unattractive to family attendance. Have any franchises heard of Sundays 2pm?
10 Go to commentsAbsolutely..all they need is a chance in yhe playoffs and I bet all the other teams will be nervous…THEY KNOW HOW TO WIN IM THE PLAYOFFS..
2 Go to commentsI really hope he comes back and helps out with some coaching.
1 Go to commentsI think we are all just hoping that the Olympic 7s doesn’t suffer the same sad fate as the last RWC with the officials ruining the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsPersonally, I’ve lost the will to even be bothered about the RFU, the structure, the participants. It’s all a sham. I now simply enjoy getting a group of friends together to go and watch a few games a year in different locations (including Europe, the championship, etc). I feel extremely sorry for the real fans of these clubs who are constantly ignored by the RFU and other administrators. I feel especially sorry for the fans of clubs in the Championship who have had considerable central funding stripped away and are then expected to just take whatever the RFU put to them. Its all a sham, especially if the failed clubs are allowed to return.
9 Go to commentsI’m guessing Carl Hayman would have preferred to have stayed in NZ with benefit of hindsight. Up north there is the expectation to play twice as many games with far less ‘player management’ protocols that Paul is now criticising. Less playing through concussions means longer, healthier, careers. Carter used as the eg here by Paul, his sabbatical allowed him to play until age 37. OK its not an exact science but there is far more expectations on players who sign for Top 14 or Engl Prem clubs to get value for the huge salaries. NZR get alot wrong but keeping their best players in NZ rugby is not one of them. SA clubs are virtually devoid of their top players now, no thanks. They cant threaten the big teams in the Champions Cup, the squads have little depth. Cant see Canes/Chiefs struggling. Super has been great this year, fantastic high skill matches. Drua a fantastic addition and Jaguares will add another quality team eventually. Aus teams performing strongly and no doubt will benefit with the incentive of a Lions tour and a home RWC. Let Jordie enjoy his time with Leinster, it will allow the opportunity for another player to emerge at Canes in his absence.
10 Go to commentsLove that man, his way to despise angry little men is so funny ! 😂
4 Go to comments“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
22 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
4 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
9 Go to commentsWell that’s the contracts for RG and Jordie bought and paid for. Now, what are the chances we can persuade Antoine to hop over with all the extra dosh we’ll have from living at the Aviva & Croke next season…??? 🤑🤑🤑
34 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
34 Go to commentsYou probably read that parling is going to coach the wallaby lineout but if not before now you have.
14 Go to commentsIf someone like Leo Cullen was in O’Gara’s place I don’t hear Boo-ing. It’s not just that La Rochelle has hurt Leinster and O’Gara is their Irish boss. It’s the needle that he brings and the pantomime activity before the game around pretending that Munster were supporting LaRochelle just because O’Gara is from Cork. That’s dividing Irish provinces just to get an advantage for his French Team. He can F*ck right off with that. BOOOOO! (but not while someone is lying injured)
4 Go to commentsDid the highlanders party too hard before the game? They were the pits.
1 Go to commentsWhat a player! Not long until he’s in the England side, surely?
5 Go to commentsHe seems to have the same aura as Marcus Smith - by which I mean he’s consistently judged as if he’s several years younger than he actually is. Mngomezulu has played 24 times for the Stormers. When Pollard was his age he had played 24 times for South Africa! He has more time to develop, but he has also had time to do some developing already, and he hasn’t demonstrated nearly as much talent in that time as one would expect. If he is a generational talent, then it must be a pretty poor generation.
6 Go to commentsThe greatest Springbok coach of all time is entirely on the money. Rassie and Jacques have given the south african public a great few years, but the success of the springbok selection policy will need to be judged in light of what comes next. The poor condition that the provincial system is currently in doesn’t bode well for the next few years of international rugby, and the insane 2026 schedule that the Boks have lined up could also really harm both provincial and international consistency.
22 Go to commentsJake White is a brilliant coach and a master in the press. This is another masterclass in media relations and PR but its also a very narrow view with arguments that dont always hold water. White wants his team to win, he wants the best players in SA and wants his team competitive. You however have to face up to the reality of a poor exchange rate and big clubs with big budgets. SA Rugby cant compete and unless it can find more money SA players will keep leaving regardless of Springbok eligibility and this happened in 2015 - 2017. Also rugby is not cricket. Cricket has 3 formats and T20 cricket is where the money is at. When it comes to club vs country the IPL is king but that wont happen because the international calendar does not clash with the club calendar in rugby. So the argument about rugby going down the same path as cricket is really a non-starter
22 Go to comments