Players need to stand up and challenge Eddie Jones – Andy Goode
Ireland’s domination at Twickenham on Saturday and throughout the Six Nations showed how far they’ve come in the past year and a half and just how far England have to go in the next 18 months.
Winning the Grand Slam and beating both France and England away from home is a monumental achievement by Ireland. They thoroughly deserved the success they had and you could see the hard work that went into it but also that the players were physically, mentally and tactically primed to give them the best shot at winning the title.
They have been quietly going about their business very well for a while now but this puts them firmly on the map as the second best team in the world and it’ll be interesting to see if they can kick on even more from here.
Ireland and the other teams have improved but England, having won the title for the past two seasons, have regressed. Eddie Jones says we’re making progress but it looks like we’re getting closer and closer to the next World Cup but getting further and further from being able to win it.
It was England’s worst campaign for 31 years since the 1987 Five Nations and the first time they’ve lost three in a row in the Six Nations since 2006 when I started against Ireland, so at least I can say this team is worse than ours now!
We lost away to Scotland and France and then at home to Ireland as well 12 years ago but that’s where the comparisons end really. There were a lot of stop gaps in that side, including myself, and this current crop should be in a much better position.
However, England went on to reach the World Cup final in 2007 and there were players like Matt Dawson and Lawrence Dallaglio who could challenge the coach and that’s what was needed at the time under Andy Robinson.
There is absolutely no need to throw the baby out with the bath water and start to question Eddie Jones’ position. That would be ridiculous with the record he still has but he’s autocratic and I’m not sure there are the leaders in this playing group that can stand up and challenge him if necessary.
I think Eddie Jones is the only person in the country who thinks Dylan Hartley should be starting at hooker and, as a result, I don’t think Hartley’s likely to challenge his coaching methods and even though you can clearly see they’re out on their feet.
I’ve seen how hard these England players train and they go hell for leather at an intensity over and above that of a game but, even if you haven’t seen it up close, it’s clear for all to see how tired they are.
Ireland’s players do get regular rests during PRO14 weeks but they are working hard in training too, it’s just that they’re being smarter.
Dean Benton, who can often be seen sat next to Eddie Jones, is the RFU’s Head of Sports Science and he was our Head of Strength and Conditioning at Leicester for around six months many years ago but he didn’t last long.
He came from rugby league in Australia but didn’t understand the rigours of a Premiership season and now he has popped up all these years later as one of Eddie Jones’ right-hand men.
The physical state of the players is one factor but selection can’t be swept under the carpet either and Jones has suggested himself that some players might have played their last game for England.
There are a lot players in this squad who have got over 50 caps, so if there aren’t enough leaders when they have that much experience, then there’s something wrong with how they’ve developed off the field in terms of trying to harness some leadership potential.
Some players are clearly still in the squad because they have credit in the bank from what they’ve done a couple of years ago as well and that sets a dangerous precedent. Nobody should be cast aside, but England need to start picking players on form.
Chris Robshaw, for example, does work hard but he hasn’t had a positive impact on the team. When Billy Vunipola is in that side and doing all of the carrying, it allows him to be more effective but he’s been exposed without having one of the best players in the world alongside him.
Dan Cole came on against Ireland and did well in the scrum but he hasn’t been offering enough around he park and George Ford had an impact off the bench as well but has been found wanting in this tournament.
Rugby’s a hell of a lot easier on the front foot and a major reason England’s attack has failed is that they haven’t had Billy Vunipola to get them over the gainline but you can’t rely on one man.
They need to be more creative in attack. Eddie Jones looks after that area and is fairly autocratic in the way he operates but does he need someone else in there as another pair of eyes? I think he does.
The fact that Jones has signed a two-year contract extension and has proved himself with the record he has had over the past couple of years means that there are rightly no question marks over his position and that enables him to still rest some of his British & Irish Lions for the summer tour to South Africa, despite the fact that they’ve had a disastrous Six Nations campaign.
The Springboks will be better under Rassie Erasmus, but they’re not the force they used to be and he can still afford to rest the likes of Owen Farrell, Maro Itoje and others who have played too much rugby.
The likes of Dylan Hartley and Mike Brown are likely to be on the phone to Eddie Jones badgering him to go on the tour though as if you’re left out, you may never get a chance again.
If his job was under threat, he’d be taking his strongest squad but it isn’t and I’m sure that’ll allow him to stick to his guns and rest some of the big names and give some fresh faces more of a chance in South Africa.
If there’s ever a chance to make changes and have a look at different leaders, then it’s a summer tour. Poor old Jamie George didn’t play brilliantly when he started against France but it must be hard for him, knowing he was considered the best hooker in the British Isles but can’t get in the England team.
He surely has to be given a run in the side and Luke Cowan-Dickie is in the form of his life just behind him in the pecking order as well.
The make-up of the squad will be fascinating when it’s announced but, whichever way Eddie Jones decides to go, a worst campaign since 1987 means changes are inevitable and he has to follow through with his threat that some players have played their last games.
Eddie Jones faces media after England lose third game in a row
Comments on RugbyPass
Probably the worst article on a rugby match I have ever read
198 Go to commentsWho hurt this man.. LoL 😭
198 Go to commentsIt unfortunate for the Jaguares that they became formidable just as super rugby as we knew came to an end. However, the idea of bringing them back is nonsensical. While I enjoyed the Jaguares and the South African flavour of the comp, a selling point of this incarnation of super rugby is that all games are on a decent time for an Aussie audience.
2 Go to commentslol that’s your opinion Ben, All Blacks benefited from a forward pass try, SA played 77 min without a recognised hooker, missed a no try conversion and a penalty could have would have but didn’t
198 Go to commentsBrett, from my distant perspective, I hope you get to keep the Rebels. Any ideas of teams from Japan or Argentina are just crazy. Won’t happen. If you look at logistics, it is much easier to get to LA from Auckland, Brisbane, Melbourne or Sydney than to Buenos Aires. All with direct non-stop daily flights. You may even get some “gringos” to watch the games, with some younger players compared to Giteau and Nonu who still “play” in the area. I think it is virtually impossible to get a competitive Argie team for SR. All Pumas are in Europe, almost all second tier players are also in Europe. Fringe players are in South American pro rugby tournament (and many still in the MLR!) but these players who might be most interested in joining a new Jaguares do not have the skills to compete. As I have been saying since the Jaguares joined, they should have had TWO teams to make logistics for visiting teams better and Argie player development improved as well. Jaguares/Pumas was not ideal. But this is where Pichot and his cronies did not think long enough. Further the country with he new president “No hay Plata” Milei is in a very difficult situation. Galperin, the richest man in Argentina owns the Miami franchise of MLR. I don’t think you can get him to invest in Argentina. Actually, he played rugby himself. He was a fly half. He is worth around $6 billion!
2 Go to commentsWell done Baby Boks we will take the Draw. No 9 senseless long passes in those conditions. let’s move on and hope for some good weather
4 Go to commentsHow did it end a draw. South Africa didn’t score any points as far as I can see
4 Go to commentsNo doubt this will be a fantastic occasion and I plan to be there, but I think the bean counters have won out over the rugby brains. In my opinion, it is foolhardy to give the Black Ferns the experience of playing in front of 60,000+ at Twickenham a year before they might be playing there in a World Cup Final. Better to play France at Twickenham and Black Ferns at Kingsholm. The difference in takings would be miniscule.
1 Go to commentsDom kant
198 Go to commentsBen is a little incel desperately trying to stir the pot and stay relevant. We used to get mad at his articles. Now we just feel sorry for him
198 Go to commentsPerhaps we may need to put an asterisk on NZ’s ‘87 WC win since the Boks weren’t there. You know, just as a reminder. Poor Ben Smith. Go cry somewhere else.
198 Go to commentsNz should have won. I didn't watch the game, but the ref was at fault and the bounce of the ball and the Bokke used the Bomb squad and the Bokke slow the game down and the Bokke scrum. They should remove the scrum. The Bokke are to strong. Not fair. Nz should have won
4 Go to commentsThanks for a much more balanced piece Ned and not that BS that Bin Smuth just posted a short while ago. read this article and then Bin Smuth’s and tell me there isn’t a huge difference🙄
4 Go to commentsWere the Baby Boks part of this game or did the Baby Blacks play themselves?🤔 That man Bin Smuth once again does a little write-up on the game and it is like 95% about the Baby Blacks🤣 Glad he ends off with the Baby Blacks were actually in cruise control for most of the game and weren’t actually playing for the win WTF🤣🤣 Maybe he was expecting the Baby Blacks to run rampant….
4 Go to commentsOne does not expect anything more from Ben Smith who epitomises the worst of New Zealand media arrogance and an inability to balance what he has to say about any team that beats the All Blacks. His reference to context is pathetically thin. He does not comment that Frizell deserved a red card given his blatant manipulation of his body to ensure that he could drop his body weight onto Mbonambi’s lower leg. No mention of the ball lost forward before the All Black’s try (lost in-field of the 5 metre line and gathered beyond). The All Black commitment and effort was superb and there was little in it. Given the Springbok passage to the final and the loss of their hooker in the first three minutes, their resolve and capacity to win their fourth final out of eight attempts (not three out of ten) deserves the praise that has been forthcoming from media around the world, worth reading and listening to. Ben should join his “pundit” friends on TV - he would fit in well. This sort of article reduces any credibility Rugby Pass has ever had. Why persist with this sort of nonsense? The man does his country and a rugby blog a disservice.
198 Go to commentsEtzebeth went on to say: “I would never dream of saying that systems stay in place following a change in captain. To say that would be deeply, deeply, disrespectful of Siya. A while back an Irish person told me they would be fine without Sexton, so I’m just responding to that.”
3 Go to commentsClose games are what we want to see…. What a match it was…. I am sure that everyone was drained by the end of it. The reality of it all there has to be a winner and a loser. The fact that we still talking about it is almost 6 months to the day Rugby is the winner.. Asante sana… Here is to 2027 and what it will bring out.
198 Go to commentsIt’s going to be a good game. COYQ
1 Go to comments“Shock”, the guy was casually saying he was just slightly surprised. Nowadays if you say anything it gets taken completely out of context. Calm down everyone.
156 Go to commentsAll I can say after reading this bitter, sour, sad piece is… Thank you very much! This will be read in the change room just before kick off on 31 August…
198 Go to comments