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The end of the Eddie Jones era
Eddie Jones seven-year run as head coach will be heralded as a great period for England rugby, with three Six Nations titles, a Grand Slam and a World Cup final appearance in 2019.
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The excellence of the England side through 2016-2020 is the legacy Jones will leave, the period where all of the aforementioned success was captured. An 18-Test winning streak spoke magnitudes of greatness.
He leaves with an exceptional winning rate of 74 per cent over his tenure. Jones deserves a healthy amount of credit for leading them through this prosperous period, but it was not all down to Eddie’s methods. The success goes beyond one head coach.
Despite the 2015 calamity at the home World Cup, Jones’ arrival was the perfect time to take the reins of English rugby. It looked bleak at the time, but below the surface England were about to enjoy riches and Jones must have known that when he took up the position.
From 2011 to 2015, the England under-20 (U20) side reached four finals at the World Championships and won two titles at the age grade level. Over the same period, they took home four of five possible U20 Six Nations titles.
A golden generation was on the precipice of breaking through to international rugby, with players like Owen Farrell, Elliot Daly, George Ford, Mako Vunipola from the first crop in 2011.
Jack Nowell, Anthony Watson, Henry Slade, Luke Cowan-Dickie all were champions in the 2013 U20 side, the 2014 champions included Maro Itoje. From 2016 to 2018 the England U20 side made three more finals and won another World Championship title in 2016.
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Across the 2010s decade they made seven finals and won three World Rugby U20 championships.
England were always going to be in a healthy position for the 2019 Rugby World Cup based on the success of their U20 programme. The system was producing the world’s best or near world’s best age grade talent for an entire decade.
Most of this generation would peak or be close to peaking with the right mix of experience and athleticism at the 2019 World Cup.
That pipeline of talent flowed into the Premiership where two juggernauts grew, Exeter Chiefs and Saracens, the latter becoming a dominant European force that captured three crowns in the Champions Cup before the salary cap scandal tore them apart.
The England side was built on the back of a strong Saracens core with sprinklings of other generational talent around them, many already world champions at age grade level.
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They were always going to be successful to a degree with a coach of the calibre of Eddie Jones, it was just a question of how much silverware would they fill the cupboards with when the sun was shining and whether they take home the trophy wife of trophies, the Rugby World Cup.
England’s slide over the last two years has coincided with the rise of France and Ireland as the world’s best two teams, who coincidently started to take the titles away from England a few years ago at U20 level.
The tide was turning underneath England and Jones, while his generation of stars started hitting the twilight years post-2019.
France’s U20 side won two straight World Championship titles in 2018 and 2019, which is still the last edition of the tournament played since the pandemic.
Closer to home in Europe the Six Nations U20 tournament has continued, where France have won one title and been runners-up four times over the last five U20 Six Nations.
Ireland have captured two Grand Slam Six Nations titles at this level in the last five years, in 2019 and 2022, and would have potentially had a third in 2020 but the tournament was cancelled.
They were three from three at the time, having already secured a triple crown over Scotland, Wales and England. Only France stood in the way of another U20 Six Nations title.
England managed to win an U20 Six Nations title in 2021, the first since 2017, but over the last five year period it has been all about Ireland and France.
Which to no surprise, is now playing out at the top level as France became a Grand Slam-winning side in 2022 and put together a perfect Test season. Ireland have beaten everyone except France in the last two years.
Eddie Jones is the gravitational force that pulls in media attention and spits out endless headlines, becoming larger than the side itself at times. It is great entertainment for the game, who needs characters like Jones.
But he gets too much blame when they lose and too much credit when they win. He was sitting at the top of perhaps the greatest conveyor belt of talent in England Rugby’s history over the decade leading up to the 2019 World Cup.
Many believe Jones deserved to see things out through to the 2023 World Cup with his multi-year ‘plan’ still in progress, which is a fair conclusion.
There might have been one last ‘squeeze’ from England’s 2010s generation with the favourable draw, but that looked increasingly unlikely with five wins from 12 tests this year.
But it’s not just about winning three knockout games every four years for the RFU, it’s about everything else in between as well. The writing has been on the wall for England for two years.
The bigger picture is England have lost footing with Ireland and France in Europe, and no ‘grand plan’ from Jones for the 2023 World Cup would change that fact.
England will be fine without Jones once they rebuild the pipeline to produce champion U20 teams again, and Jones will be fine without England when he finds another high performing development system to coach in.
Comments on RugbyPass
SBW is fast becoming a laughing stock, his misplaced comments & lack of insight Is actually pretty sad.
3 Go to commentsJust well you guys are couch 🛋 potatoes selector's, picking a team of greenhorns to play England! “What are you people smoking?” The halfbacks will be Christie, Fakatava, Perenara Props; Newell, Bower, Lomax, Tunga'fasi, Hookers; Asosa Amua when fit, Taylor, Samisoni,
11 Go to commentsQuite frankly, all this is a bit pathetic. The first time Wales get the Wooden Spoon in 21 years and everyone is on the bandwagon for a ‘play-off’ game. Wales have no obligation to Georgia and no obligation to the rest of the Six Nations to play such a game. If they want Georgia in so badly then they need to include South Africa into a Northern Hemisphere competition with 2 leagues of 4 teams with the top 2 competing for the Championship. Sadly, this will end Triple Crowns and Grand Slams forever. Is this really what you want?
4 Go to commentsI think Finau to start Blackadder to come on. Poss Prokter instead of Ioane, haven't seen much from Reiko so far this year.
11 Go to commentsJoe will have had a good chat with Dave Rennie, a smart move to begin with while it’s doubtful Fast Eddie will be consulted? Plenty of Aus players hitting top form so they should go OK.
3 Go to commentsMmm. Not sure I like this article or see it as necessary.
3 Go to commentsBlackadder but no Finau! 😀 It’s Razor so you are probably right, plus Taylor at 2…
11 Go to commentsThe strongest possible AB side would actually include Aaron Smith, Bodie Retallick, Sam Whitelock, Leicester Fainga'anuku, Shannon Frizzel.. don’t get me started on the rest of the injury hit brigade that got flung on the heap so left. Many a whole not getting filled as of yet.
11 Go to commentsI don’t think anyone knows what Schmidt will do, one thing is certain it ain’t gonna be all the picks we on the keyboard will think. My impression of him is that he will be looking at who can step up and what is the best combination. He will ignore individuals as he looks for guys who can build a powerful team and not just guys who can make a flashy run or ignore the winger as they want to score themselves.
3 Go to commentsSome dumb selections there. Not Porecki Not Donaldson Not Gordon Not Lonegran - both Not Nic White - Fines instead Not Liam Wright Not Paisami Definitely not Vunivalu Other than that not bad.
3 Go to commentsI've never been convinced that Patty T is a test match all black. Otherwise I probably agree it's the best side available to beat the poms. Caveat that Codie Taylor is yet to be seen and could very likely warrant selection by June. I hope that Razor brings the young loosies, half backs and locks into the training squad and develops/ selects the best
11 Go to commentsYou doing the same thing I disliked about the example of Samisoni Taukei'aho, Nick. He’s great the way he is, you’re trying to do what modern-day coaches frustrate me doing, turning everyone into the perfect athlete. Next thing you’ll be telling me you’ll bench him until he’s hit that arbitrary marker, and can’t overtake the current guy who’s doing all his workons. He’s a young Kieran Read, through and through, plays wide and has threat, mainly (and evident in your clips) through his two hand carry and speed. Just let him work on that, or whatever he wants, and determine his own future. Play God and you risk the players going sideways, like Read did, instead of being a Toutai Kefu. I mean I was in the same camp for a while, wanting our tight five to have the size, and carry ability, as the teams they were getting beat by. Now I’m starting to believe those teams just have better skilled and practiced individuals, bigger by upwards of 5kg sometimes, sure, but more influentially they have those intrinsic skills of trust and awareness. Basically our guys just didn’t know wtf they were doing. Don’t think I’m trying to prove a point here but hasn’t Caleb Clarke been in much better form this year, or does he just ‘look’ better now that he’s not always trying to use his size?
44 Go to commentsThe pack lacks a little in height for the line out and I wouldn’t be completely convinced by some of the combinations till we see it in action.
11 Go to commentsThe side is good but lacks experience. International playing bona fides udually trumps super rugby form for good reason. And incumbents are usually stuck with. Codie Taylor should start or come off the bench. B Barrett will start at fullback. Blackadder has not earned the position, Finau has. TJs experience and competitiveness earns him a starting role, Christie or Ratima off the bench
11 Go to commentsPretty good side. Scott Barrett should be the captain. Ethan Blackadder a great choice at blindside. He is going to go from strength to strength having made a couple of starts for the Crusaders. Scott Robertson rates him highly. Perenara could start a no 9.
11 Go to commentsI question and with respect. Was enough done over the last few years to bring through new blood knowing the Whitelocks and co couldn’t last forever. There should have been more done to future proof the team. New squad new coach, he and they weren’t set up well. IMO
6 Go to commentsJacobsen will definitely be in the 23
11 Go to commentsLots of discussion points, Ben, but two glaring follies IMO: 1. Blackadder at 6. Has done nothing so far this season to justify his selection. Did you see him going backwards in contact at the weekend? Simply has not got the physical presence at 6: we need a Scott Barrett or a Finau (or wildcard Ah Kuoi), beasts who are big enough to play lock, like Frizzell. If Barret played at 6, Paddy could be joined at lock by Vai’i or one of the young giants we need to promote, like Darry or Lord (if he ever gets on the field). Blackadder best left to join the queue for 7. 2. Not even a mention for Christie? Ratima gets caught at crucial times at the back of the ruck when he hesitates on the pass. The only way he starts would be if Christie and TJ are injured.
11 Go to commentsWhat a dagg in more ways than one
6 Go to commentsRegroup come back next year but sack some of the coaching team and don't be like the ABs last minute sacking. If Crusaders don't do well ABs don't do well.
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