Jones and Farrell: England 'best thing' for Saracens players
Eddie Jones believes England’s Six Nations campaign can help his Saracens players deal with the ramifications of relegation from the Gallagher Premiership for the club’s repeated salary cap breaches.
Jones will use Saracens relegation to the Championship to motivate the seven players affected by the controversy, including captain Owen Farrell. “It is a massive opportunity,” said Jones. “For the Saracens players the chance to come to England is the best thing for them to do what they love doing – playing rugby. Who do they love playing for? Their club – well they are not playing for their club they are playing for the country they love. It is the best thing for them. For the rest of the team it an opportunity to get tighter.”
Farrell was at pains to emphasise that England’s contingent of Saracens players would not be distracted by the ramifications of relegation and agreed “massively” with Jones’s take on the situation as the squad prepared to head to Portugal for a training camp.
Andy Farrell, the Ireland head coach and father of Owen, is adamant Jones will use the Saracens situation to generate a positive reaction for England who start their Six Nations campaign against a young French side whose defence is now being marshalled by Shaun Edwards, the former British and Irish Lions and Wales defence expert.
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WATCH: England coach Eddie Jones says he wants the team to be “the greatest team the rugby world has ever seen” following his announcement of the team’s Six Nations squad.
Edwards has been ordered to make France more aggressive in this key area in his new role heading into the Six Nations championship opener with England on February 2 in Paris.
The former rugby league great helped Wales become Europe’s top team with his defence absolutely vital to head coach Warren Gatland who spent more than a decade in that role before heading back to New Zealand. Edwards opted to take his skills to France and has learnt the language to get his message over to the French players who have been hampered by indiscipline and a lack of cohesion in recent seasons.
The French captain doesn't see a spill-over into England's Six Nations from the Saracens scandal 🇫🇷 https://t.co/aeEw7xZgRm
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) January 22, 2020
However, new coach Fabien Galthie has put his faith in Edwards and said at the Six Nations launch in London: “While he’s been with us for two months, he brings something different, he brings his own culture. He was a great rugby player and he went to become a coach with Wales.
“He brings defensive experience. He wants us to focus on being more aggressive in defence. We will keep our defensive system from the World Cup but adding that element.
New France captain Charles Ollivon on Edwards: “Shaun has brains and personality, he has a lot of energy and experience. He brings a lot of accuracy in terms of skills.”
Comments on RugbyPass
1.97m and 105Kg? Proportionately, probably skinnier than me at 1.82 and 82kilos. He won’t survive against the big guys at that weight.
54 Go to commentsThe 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
54 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.
54 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
54 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
54 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
54 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.
54 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.
54 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.
54 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 comments