Jones confirms England exit date and his advice for Owen Farrell
Eddie Jones has insisted he will be leaving his job as England boss following the 2023 World Cup in France and he has also explained the difficulties Owen Farrell has had regarding his form in the past year. It was in 2016, following his breakthrough exploits with Japan at the 2015 World Cup, that Jones was first snapped up by the RFU to replace the shelved Stuart Lancaster.
It was January 2018 when the Australian initially signed a contract extension that would take him through until 2021 but it was subsequently agreed in April 2020 that Jones, the best-paid coach in world rugby, would take the England team through to the next World Cup and he has now confirmed that the tournament in France will be his last involvement.
Asked at the naming of his 45-man squad for next week’s mini training camp if a line had been drawn in the sand in the countdown to the tournament where England are looking to go one step further than in 2019 when beaten finalists, Jones agreed it was a new era for his team. “100 per cent and it’s the last chapter for me, the last two years. So I have never been so excited in my life and the squad we have assembled is just the start.
“We have got five campaigns and each time we pick the squad we want the squad to be a bit stronger. Next time we are going to have some of those Lions players who have been left out competing at their best and the competition is going to get even hotter, so it’s a fantastic time to be a part of the team.
“Rugby is evolving nicely, we have been through some difficult times but the game is evolving nicely, the refereeing is starting to get a little more consistent around the breakdown which is allowing teams to play with a bit more freedom and space because the ball is quicker and we want to take the game forward and be the best in the world.
Eddie Jones fielded questions on Tuesday as to why the outcast Sam Simmonds and the uncapped Louis Lynagh were now suddenly in his England plans?#England https://t.co/jePv42NMx5
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) September 21, 2021
“Since 2016, our squad is becoming increasingly more diverse and a greater range of ages. Now we got from the oldest bloke, 31, 32, probably Benny Youngs is 31 to 18, 19-year-olds. We have got a great spread of players, a great spread of different backgrounds and we want the leadership group to reflect that diversity and that is what we intend to do. I have got a few ideas how we want to do it and I want to talk to players before we elaborate on it.” No removal of the England captaincy from the struggling Farrell is envisaged, however.
The soon-to-be 30-year-old has endured a difficult 2021 with England and he also faded on the recent Lions tour, but Jones isn’t writing off England skipper just yet. “I’m not here to talk about the Lions. Go on one of the chat shows and they will tell you all about the Lions. I am not a television commentator. All I am worried about is this minicamp, all I am worried about is getting Owen Farrell back to his best. He hasn’t been at his best over the last period of time but I am convinced that I can get him back to his best and then we will decide on the leadership of the team but at this stage, there is no reason why he won’t be captain.
“There are a number of reasons,” added Jones when asked why Farrell has been off colour with England and his other teams. “He had covid before the Six Nations, his team was in the Championship, they had spasmodic training sessions, he didn’t get high-quality games and they played back to back seasons. You look at South Africa at the moment how they are struggling after ten weeks in the bubble.
“This has been a difficult period for the players. Some players have reacted well and some players haven’t reacted well. For some players, we’ll decide we are going to give them a rest and for other players, they need to get back in to stoke the fires. I have got no doubt that Owen will be back to his best by autumn.”
Not since 2018, when Dylan Hartley, Chris Robshaw, James Haskell and Mike Brown were phased out, has Eddie Jones so dramatically culled his England squad… https://t.co/YX3m6SHkdv
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) September 21, 2021
Comments on RugbyPass
I do not really get why put Ollivon at 6 when he’s a 7, while Cros was the best Frenchman of the tournament, playing at…6. His only game replacing Aldritt at 8 doesn’t change much in terms of his impact. Lamaro was also outstanding in that brilliant Italian side, probably better than Reffell. So putting 2 Welsh players from the wooden spoon holders, and none of the 4th nation (Scotland) is also strange. Is it about showing that in this harsh transition Wales is, there were some standouts…?
6 Go to commentsThe events at this year’s six nations should undermine many of the arguments made against promotion and relegation between the six nations and the REC. If Italy had been allowed to yo-yo between divisions it conceivably could have really hurt their development, but if Italy, Wales, and Scotland are all at risk of relegation, with none of them being relegated more often than once every 3 or 4 years, you’d have to back all of them to muddle on through it, especially when you factor in the likelihood they’ll still be guaranteed world league matches against tier 1 opponents. Another way of looking at italys resurgence would be to say that the development model of adding an extra team to the six nations has worked, and now must be done again. Georgia could join to make it a 7 team round robin, and if and when Georgia demonstrate an ability to consistently win games, Portugal can also be added to make it an 8 team 2 conference competition. Frankly at this point I think it falls to world rugby to demand that the 6N act in the interests of the game. If the 6N won’t commit to expansion then the 6N teams should be handicapped in world cup draws (i.e. world cup seedings would not be based on their ranking points, but on their ranking points minus a 5 point penalty).
4 Go to commentsSteve Borthwick deserves credit for releasing the shackles on his England side and letting them play in a manner that somewhat resembles the top sides in the Gallagher Premiership. Will they revert to type in New Zealand in July.?
27 Go to commentsJames Lowe wouldn't get in any other 6N team. He's a great example of Farrell’s brilliance, and the Irish system. He is slow. His footwork is poor. But he fits perfectly in that Irish system, and has a superb impact. But put him in another team, and he'll look bang average.
6 Go to commentsCrusaders reached their heights through recruitment of North Island players, often leaving those NI teams bereft of key players. Example: Scott Barrett and Sam Whitelock robbed the Canes of their lineout and AB locks. For years the Canes have struggled at lock. This rabid recruitment was iniated by rule changes by a Crusader dominated NZR Head Office. Now this aggressive recruitment has back-fired, going after young inside back Hamilton Boys stars. They now have 4 Chiefs region 10s and not one with the requisite experience at Super level. Problems of their own making!
2 Go to commentsOver rated for a long time…exposed at scrum time too.
3 Go to comments“Firing me” should have been Gatland’s answer.
2 Go to commentsFinn Russell logic: “World” = 4 countries. Ireland may be at or near the top. FR’s bigger concern should be he and his fellow Scots (incl. the Bloemfontein ones) sliding back down to below top 10
42 Go to commentsMind games have begun. Ireland learned their lesson after saying they could beat England with 13 players or whatever. Still, if they win at Loftus, that would be impressive - final frontier etc.
58 Go to comments$950k for a Prop that isn’t fit enough to play 10 mins of rugby? Surely there is someone better to replace Big Mike with
3 Go to commentsFour Kiwis in that backline. A solid statement on the lack of invention, risk-taking and joy in the NH game; game of attrition and head- banging tedium. Longterm medical problems aplenty in the future!
6 Go to commentsGood article, I learnt quite a lot. A big sliding door moment was in the mid 00s when they rejected Steve Anderson's long term transformation and he wrote Ireland's strategy instead.
2 Go to commentsHi Dr Nick! I'm worried that I've started to enjoy watching England and have actually wanted them to win their last two games. What would you prescribe? On a more serious note, I've noticed that the standard of play in March is often better than early February. Do you think this is because of the weather or because the players have been together for longer?
27 Go to commentsMy question in all this brett is who is going to wear the consequences of these actions? Surely just getting the sack isn’t sufficient? A teenager working the till at woolies would probably get taken to court if they took $20 out of the till. You mean to tell me that someone can spend $2.6 million and get away with it? Where was it spent? What companies/people were the beneficiaries etc? How is it just being talked about as an ‘oopsie’ and we all just move on and not a matter of the court for gross negligence, fraud, take your pick…
20 Go to commentslove Manu too but England have relied on him coming back from injury for far too long and not sorted the position with someone else long term . It will be a blessing he has gone . Huge shame he was so injury prone . God speed Manu .
3 Go to commentsI agree with Ben Smith about Brett Cameron. The No. 6 position has to be a monster and a genuine lineout option, like Ollivon, Lawes (now Chessum), Du Toit, etc. The only player who fits that bill right now is Scott Barrett. A fit and fizzing Tuipolotu together with one of the young towers, Sam Darry or Josh Lord, would give Razor the freedom to play Barret at 6.
16 Go to commentsOutstanding article, Graham. Agree with all of it. And enjoy the style of writing too (particularly Grand Slap!).
3 Go to commentsI wouldn't pay a cent for that loafer. He just stands around, waiting for play to come his way. He won't make the Wallabies.
3 Go to commentsGood bit of te reo maori Nic. Or is that Niko or Nikora? On the theme of trees the Oaks v Totara. Game plan would be key. I have one but it would cost you.
27 Go to comments> Shaun Edwards’ You should not have to score 30 points to win a game, as exciting as it is. This statement was surprising to me. It is nonsensical .I guess it is a defence coach speaking. But head coach, defence and attacking coaches all work together. They are inseparable. You score more than the opposition to win. It only needs to be one score. You score whatever the game demands, whatever the opposition demand. You defend whatever it takes. The attack coach needs to be able to clock up 30pts if need be.
27 Go to comments