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Jones confronts claim he hasn't evolved England after picking 13 of his World Cup final XV for Nations Cup decider
Eddie Jones has dismissed the suggestion that he is failing to evolve his starting England XV after he unveiled a team to face France in Sunday’s Autumn Nations Cup final versus France that contains 13 of the 15 players who started the November 2019 World Cup final defeat to South Africa.
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With Anthony Watson restored to the side to face the French in the absence of the injured Jonathan Joseph following last weekend’s win in Wales, there are only two players missing from the XV that lost to the Springboks in Yokohama.
They are the injured midfielder Manu Tuilagi and George Kruis, the second row no longer available for selection due to his club rugby switch to Japan from Saracens.
It means England will go into their latest cup final appearance on Sunday with an XV containing 813 caps – the most experienced England team of all time – but Jones insisted change was happening despite the allegation that his selection didn’t suggest much evolution these past 13 months.
“The stats don’t indicate that,” he claimed. “Our average age in the World Cup was 27.7. I think our average age now of our starting XV is 26.9 to be precise.
England team news#AutumnNationsCup #ENGvFRAhttps://t.co/vRmaNqOZoQ
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) December 4, 2020
“We are rebuilding the team but we are rebuilding it in our own way. You guys [the media] like to have massive changes, you like to have big headlines, but we’re doing it in a systematic and a progressive way to get our World Cup 2023 team to be in the right age bracket with the right number of caps.”
Aside from including Watson, Jones tweaked the England bench and opted for a 5/3 split and note the 6/2 forwards/backs selection he had with him in Llanelli, flanker Jack Willis losing out for utility back Max Malins. Joe Marchant took the bench spot vacated by the promoted Watson.
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The England coach expressed his delight that his team were back in a tournament final but he did admit they have approached preparations differently to what they did in Japan last year.
“We have had a bit of a peaking week this week,” he explained. “We have changed the training week to make sure we are at our absolute best on Sunday. We probably learned from the World Cup where in retrospect we probably underprepared.
“We feel we have got the right balance in terms of physical and recovery work this week and the boys trained outstandingly well at Twickenham on Wednesday.
“It’s such an exciting final for rugby to have fans back (2,000 are allowed at Twickenham), to have probably the two best sides in Europe playing in the final of an inaugural competition which produced some good, tough rugby. It’s a great opportunity to showcase the game.”
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The arrival of Jason Ryles in the England set-up on a full-time basis from NRL has led to plenty of rugby league nuanced conversations #AutumnNationsCup #ENGvFRA
https://t.co/yrRaZBm3yG— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) December 4, 2020
Comments on RugbyPass
The value he brought to the crusaders as an assistant was equal to what he got out of being there. He reflected not only on the team culture but also the credit he attributed to the rugby community. Such experience shouldn’t be overlooked.
3 Go to commentsGood luck Aussie
10 Go to commentssmith at 9 / mounga 10 / laumape 12 / fainganuku 14
41 Go to commentsBar the injuries, it’s pretty much their top team …
2 Go to commentsDon’t disagree with much of this but it appears you forgot Rodda and Beale, who started at the Force on the weekend.
10 Go to commentsExcept for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to commentsTo me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
41 Go to commentsROG has better chance to win a WC if he starts training and make himself eligible as a player. He won’t make the Ireland squad but I reckon he may get close with Namibia (needs to improve his Afrikaans) or Portugal. Both sides had 1000:1 odds to win the RWC in 2023 which is an improvement on ROG’s odds of winning a RWC as a coach. Unlike Top 14 teams, national teams can’t go shopping and buy the best players - you work with the available talent pool and turn them into world beaters.
3 Go to commentsthat backline nope that backline is terrible why would you have sevu Reece when he’s not even top 5 wingers in the comp why have Blackadder when there’s better players no Scott barret isn’t an automatic the guy is more of a liability than anything why have him there when you have samipeni who’s far far better
41 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
51 Go to commentsNot too bad. Questions at 6, lock and HB for me. The ABs will be a lot stronger once Jordan and Roigard return. Also, work needs to be made to secure Frizzell back for next season and maybe also Mo’unga; they’re just wasting time playing in japan
41 Go to commentsOn the title, i wonder for many of those people it is a case something like a belief in working smarter, not harder?
1 Go to commentsForget Sotutu. One of those whose top level is Super Rugby. Id take a punt on Wallace Sititi Finau ahead of Glass body Blackadder.
41 Go to commentsI’m a pensioner so I've been around a bit. My opinion of SBW is he is an elite athlete and a great New Zealander and roll model. He has been to the top and knows what he's talking about. To all the negative comments regarding SBW the typical New Zealand way, cut that tall poppy down.
17 Go to commentsI'm not listening to a guy moralise over others when this is the guy who walked out mid season on Canterbury RLFC when he had a contract with them, what a hypocrite. All the Kiwis sticking up for this unprincipled individual because they can't accept justified criticism, he has zero credibility or integrity. Those praising him are a joke.
17 Go to commentsI’d put Finau at 6 instead of Blackadder but that’s the only change I’d make. Can’t wait to see who Razor picks.
41 Go to commentsTamati Williams, Codie Taylor, and Same Cane? Not sure about Hoskins Sotutu at test level. Wasn’t that impressive last season. Need a balance between experience and talent/youth.
41 Go to commentsInteresting insight. Fantastic athlete, and a genuine human being.
17 Go to commentsThey played at night in Suva last weekend and it’s an afternoon game forecast for 19 degrees in Canberra this weekend. Heat change is a non issue.
2 Go to commentsWishing Rosie a speedy recovery
1 Go to comments