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.
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.
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.
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
I like this, but ultimately rugby already has enough trophies. Trying to make more games “consequential" might prove to be a fools errand, although this is a less bad idea than some others. Minor quibble with the title of the article; it isn’t very meaningful to say the boks are the unofficial world champions when it would be functionally impossible for the Raeburn trophy not to be held by the world champions. There’s a period of a few months every 4 years when there is no “unofficial” world champion, and the Raeburn trophy is held by the actual world champions.
8 Go to commentsIts a great idea but one that I dont think will have a lot of traction. It will depend on the prestige that they each hold but if you can do that it would be great. When Japan beat the Boks (my team) I was absolutely devestated but I wont deny the great game they played that day. We were outclassed and it was one of the best games of rugby I have seen. Using an idea like this you might just give the the underdog teams more of an opportunity to beat the big teams and I can absolutely see it being a brilliant display of rugby. They beat us because they planned for that game. It was a great moment for Japan. This way we can remove the 4 year wait and give teams something to aim for outside of World Cup years.
8 Go to commentsHi, Dave here. Happy to answer questions 🥰
8 Go to commentsDon’t think that headline is accurate. It’s great to see Aus doing better but I’m not sure they’ve shown much threat to the top of the table. They shouldn’t be inflating wins against the lousy Highlanders and Crusaders either.
3 Go to commentsSuch a shame Roigard and Aumua picked up long term injuries, probably the two form players in the comp. Also, pretty sure Clarke Dermody isn’t their coach. Got it half right though.
3 Go to commentsOh the Aussie media, they never learn. At least Andrew Kellaway is like “Woah, yeah it’s great, but settle down there guys” having endured years of the Aussie media, fans, and often their players getting ahead of themselves only to fall flat on their faces. Have the “We'll win the Bledisloe for sure this year!” headlines started yet? It’s simple to see what’s going on. The Aussie teams are settled, they didn't lose any of their major players overseas. The Crusaders and Chiefs lost key experienced All Blacks, and Razor in the Crusaders case, and clearly neither are anywhere near as strong as last year (The Canes and Blues would probably be 3rd & 4th if they were). The Highlanders are annually average, even more so post-Aaron Smith and a big squad clean out. The two teams at the top? The two nz sides with largely the same settled roster as last year, except Ardie Savea for the Canes. They’ve both got far better coaches now too. If the Aussies are going to win the title, this is the year the kiwi sides will be weakest, so they better take their chance.
3 Go to commentsThe World Cup has to be the gold standard, line in the sand. 113 teams compete for what is the opportunity to make the pool stages, and then the knockout games for the trophy. The concept is sound. This must have been the rationale when the World Cup was created, surely? But I’m all for Looking forward and finding new ways for the SH to dominate the NH into the future. The autumn series needs a change up. Let’s start by having the NH teams come south every odd year for the Autumn/Spring series games?
8 Go to commentsWhat’ll happen when the AI models of the future go back in time and try to destroy the AI models of the past standing in their way of certain victory?
41 Go to commentsThanks, Nick. We (Seanny Maloney, Brett and I) just discussed Charlie as a potential Wallaby No 8, and wondered if he has truly realised how big he is in contact (and whether he can add 5 kg w/o slowing down). Your scouting report confirms our suspicions he has the materiel. No one knows if he has the mentality (as Johann van Graan said this week about CJ, Duane and Alfie B) to carry 10-15 times a game.
57 Go to commentsHe would be a great player for the Stormers, Dobbo should approach the guy.
3 Go to commentsGood article. A few years back when he was playing for the Cheetahs, he was a quiet standout for exactly the seasons stated here. I occasionally get to see his games in the UK, and he has become a more complete player and in many ways like an Irish player. His work ethic is so suitable to the Leinster game. I wonder if Rassie would have him listed somewhere.
3 Go to commentsResults probably skewed by the fact that a few clubs have foreign fly halves in their 30s, but most teams have young English scrum halves. Results also likely to be skewed by the fact that many teams rely on centres and fullbacks to provide depth at 10, whereas they will need to stock a large number of specialist backup 9s.
1 Go to commentsI really get the sense that when all is said and done, the path of least resistance will end up being a merger of Wasps & Worcester that essentially kills the Worcester Warriors brand and sees Wasps permanently playing at Sixways. I’m not saying that’s what should happen or what I want to happen. I just think it’s the easiest rout to take and therefore, will be what happens. Wasps will definitely return to play first, and I suppose it all depends on if they can find support at Sixways. If people turn up and support Wasps in that community, at that ground, I bet they drop the Sevenoaks plan and just remain at Sixways. Under the radar but not totally unrelated, it looks as though London Irish are going to be brought back from the dead by a German consortium and look set to return, likely to the remade Championship. It’s set to have 12 clubs next season with 14 in 2025/26, what do you want to bet those extra 2 are Wasps and London Irish?
3 Go to commentsThe shoulder is a “joint” with multiple bones. You don’t “fracture” a shoulder, you fracture any one or more of the bones that make up a shoulder.
2 Go to commentsOh dear, bones too suspect to continue?
2 Go to commentsBold headline considering the Canes and Blues are 1 and 2 and the Brumbies were soundly beaten by the Chiefs and Blues. Biggest surprise is Rebels 4 Crusaders 12 - no one saw that coming. If Aus are improving that’s great 👍
3 Go to commentsAnna, You are right, we need to have patience whilst the others catch up to England and France. Also it is the PWR that has been the game changer for England. the RFU put money into that initially at the expense of the Red Roses. I was sceptical at first but it has paid off in spades.
1 Go to commentsI think Matt Proctor became a 1 test AB in the same fixture. Cameron is quality and has been great this season, can’t believe’s he only 27. Realistically how would he not be selected for ABs squad this year. Only Dmac is ahead of him as a specialist 10. With Jordan out, it will come down to where and when Beauden Barrett slots back in, and where they want to play Ruben Love. Cameron seems an absolute lock in for the wider squad though. Added benefit of TJ-Cameron-Jordie combination at 9, 10, 11 too.
1 Go to commentsFarcical, to what end would someone want to pay to keep this thing going.
1 Go to commentsHavili, our best 12 by a mile, will be in the squad, if he stays fit. JB is the most overrated AB in the last 50 years.
61 Go to comments