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Eddie Jones has told RugbyPass that he wants his England side to have a “physical, upbeat performance” in Saturday’s Guinness Six Nations game against Italy at Twickenham.
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Having made five changes to the side that lost to Wales, Jones has selected some serious muscle mass to take on Conor O’Shea’s Azzurri, starting with the selection of Ellis Genge and Kyle Sinckler together in the front row.
Jones said: “We’re really pleased with the development of those two boys. We took them to Australia in 2016 where between the two of them they’d played less than 20 Premiership games, so we took a bit of a punt on them. They’ve matured considerably and we’re delighted for both of them that they’re progressing at such a rate.”
Jones has also beefed up his midfield, pairing the recalled Ben Te’o alongside Manu Tuilagi. “It’s just a good opportunity for us. We’ve been really happy with Manu and Henry Slade, but it’s another opportunity for us to have a look at a different way of playing and we want to be adaptable and we want to be flexible. We just don’t want to play one way, we want to be able to a number of ways.”
It’s an interesting remark given England came under fire after their loss to Wales for not having come up with a Plan B in terms of their attacking style. Asked if he heard the criticism in the last two weeks, Jones replied in his deliberately obtuse fashion, “I know a lot of people have a lot of good opinions and I’m sure that whatever opinion they have there was relevance in their opinion.”
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On the one hand, Jones talked of the opportunity to look at positional combinations but this seemed to contradict his use of Wasps scrum-half Dan Robson, who has only played a handful of minutes since he was taken to South Africa last summer. While plenty of England fans thought this weekend’s match against Italy would be a chance to start Robson, Jones has stuck with Ben Youngs.
“There’s an old saying, if you listen to the fans you end up in the grandstand with them. So I’m certainly conscious of the fact that we need to have two half-backs and I’ll find the appropriate time to make sure that we do. He’s our second best half back at the moment. We know what Richard (Wigglesworth) can do and Danny (Care) is a very good player but at the moment we’re bringing Dan on. And I know how to bring a young player on.”
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Your England team to face Italy on Saturday in the #GuinnessSixNations, LIVE on @ITVSport from 16:45 GMT ?
Preview ? https://t.co/uLeASojzEL pic.twitter.com/eIu2Es3UZz
— England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) March 7, 2019
With Brad Shields also into the starting line up, Mark Wilson is on the bench alongside Nathan Hughes with no second row specialist named. Jones clarified: “Nathan’s a guy we’ve been slowly developing as a standby lock. We just feel we could get a lot of value having the ability to have a back rower that can play lock. We had that with Courtney Lawes, but now that Courtney is injured we don’t have that so we’re trying another like for like with Courtney.”
England struggled against Italy two years ago due to the “ruck-gate” tricks employed by O’Shea. Jones seemed keener this time to show a little more respect to the Azzurri.
? #Italrugby: annunciato il XV che fronteggerà l'Inghilterra sabato a Twickenham ? https://t.co/eo2Uz4sOfD#ENGvITA @SixNationsRugby #insieme #rugbypassioneitaliana pic.twitter.com/2LVcH5g2Y3
— Italrugby (@Federugby) March 7, 2019
“If you look at their team, they’ve got a number of highly credited players. (Sergio) Parisse’s a 136-capped player, (Braam) Steyn and (Sebastian) Negri are very combative, strong second rowers.
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“Steyn’s probably been one of the players of the tournament. In the centres, they’ve got (Michele) Campagnaro who’s coming back to his best form. (Luca) Morisi is seen as a good strong centre with an outside break.
“They have got plenty of firepower. They have been moving the ball quite a lot and been quite aggressive in their approach to attack, so we’re going to be delighted to defend against them.”
Comments on RugbyPass
I remember towards the end of the original broadcasting deal for Super rugby with Newscorp that there was talk about the competition expanding to improve negotiations for more money - more content, more cash. Professional rugby was still in its infancy then and I held an opposing view that if Super rugby was a truly valuable competition then it should attract more broadcasters to bid for the rights, thereby increasing the value without needing to add more teams and games. Unfortunately since the game turned professional, the tension between club, talent and country has only grown further. I would argue we’re already at a point in time where the present is the future. The only international competitions that matter are 6N, RC and RWC. The inter-hemisphere tours are only developmental for those competitions. The games that increasingly matter more to fans, sponsors and broadcasters are between the clubs. Particularly for European fans, there are multiple competitions to follow your teams fortunes every week. SA is not Europe but competes in a single continental competition, so the travel component will always be an impediment. It was worse in the bloated days of Super rugby when teams traversed between four continents - Africa, America, Asia and Australia. The percentage of players who represent their country is less than 5% of the professional player base, so the sense of sacrifice isn’t as strong a motivation for the rest who are more focused on playing professional rugby and earning as much from their body as they can. Rugby like cricket created the conundrum it’s constantly fighting a losing battle with.
3 Go to commentsOh wow… “But as La Rochelle proved in winning in Cape Town this season, a cross-continental away assignment need not spell the end of days.” La Rochelle actually proved quite the opposite. After traveling to Cape town and back they (back-to-back and current champs) got mercilessly thumped the next week. If travel is not the reason, why else would a full-strength powerhouse like La Rochelle get dumped on their @r$e$ one week later?
26 Go to commentsYou know he can land a winning conversion after the full time siren is up. (Even if it takes two attempts.)
5 Go to commentsA very insightful article from Jake. I would love to know how South African’s feel about their move to Europe. Do you prefer playing in Europe or want to go back to Super Rugby?
3 Go to commentspure fire
1 Go to commentsA very well thought out summary of all the relevant complications…agree with your ”refer the Cricket Test versus 20/20 comparison”. More also definitely doesn't necessarily mean better!
3 Go to commentsMust be something when you are only 19 y.o and both NZ and France want you. Btw he wasn’t the only new caledonian in french U20 as Robin Couly also lived in Noumea until 17. Hope he’s successful wherever he chooses to play.
8 Go to comments“Several key players in the Stade Rochelais squad are in their thirties” South Africans are going to hate the implications of that comment!
5 Go to commentsI know Leinster did a job on La Roche but shortly after HT Leinster were 30-13 ahead of them and at a similar time Toulouse were trailing Exeter. At 60 mins Leinster were 27 ahead but after 67 mins Toulouse were only 19 ahead before Exeter collapsed. That’s heavier scoring by Leinster against the Champions. I think people are looking at Toulouses total a little too much. I also think Northhampton are in with a real chance, albeit I’d put Leinster as favourites. If Leinster make the final I expect them to win by more than ten and with control.
5 Go to commentsHey Nick, your match analysis is decent but the top and tail not so much, a bit more random. For a start there’s a seismic difference in regenerating any club side over a test team. EJ pretty much had to urinate with the appendage he’d been given at test level whereas club success is impacted hugely by the budget. Look no further than Boudjellal’s Toulon project for a perfect example. The set ups at La Rochelle and Leinster are like chalk and cheese and you are correct that Leinster are ahead. Leinster are not just slightly ahead though, they are light years ahead on their plans, with the next gen champions cup team already blooded, seasoned and developing at speed from their time manning the fort in the URC while the cream play CC and tests. They have engineered a strong talent conveyor belt into their system, supported by private money funnelled into a couple of Leinster private schools. The really smart move from Leinster and the IRFU however is maximising the Irish Revenue tax breaks (tax relief on the best 10 years earnings refunded at retirement) to help keep all of their stars in Ireland and happy, while simultaneously funding marquee players consistently. And of course Barrett is the latest example. But in no way is he a “replacement for Henshaw”, he’s only there for one season!!! As for Rob Baxter, the best advice you can give him is to start lobbying Parliament and HMRC for a similar state subsidy, but don’t hold your breath… One thing Cullen has been very smart with is his coaching team. Very quickly he realised his need to supplement his skills, there was talk of him exiting after his first couple of years but he was extremely shrewd bringing in Lancaster and now Nienaber. That has worked superbly and added a layer that really has made a tangible difference. Apart from that you were bang on the money… 😉😂
5 Go to commentsNot sure exactly what went wrong for him at Glasgow but it’s pretty clear he ain’t Franco’s cup of tea. Suspect he would have been better served heading out of Scotland around the same time as Finn, Hoggy and Jonny!
1 Go to commentsBulls disrespected the Northampton supporters and the competition. Decide quickly, fully in or out.
26 Go to commentsI wonder if Parling was ever on England’s radar as a coach? Obviously Borthwick is a great lineout coach, but I do worry he might be taking on too much as both head coach and forwards coach.
1 Go to commentsJason Jenkins has one cap. When Etzebeth was his age he had over 80 caps. Experience matters. He will never amount to what Etzebeth has because he hasn’t been developed as an international player.
2 Go to commentsSays much about the player picking this gig over the easier and bigger rewards offered to him in Japan. Also says a lot about the state sanctioned tax benefits the Irish Revenue offers pro rugby players, with their ten highest earning years subject to an additional 40% tax relief and paid as a lump sum, in cash, at retirement. Certainly helps Leinster line up the financial ducks in a row to fund marquee signings like this!!! No other union anywhere in world rugby benefits from this kind of lucrative financial sponsorship from their government…
5 Go to commentsTrue Jordie could earn a lot more in Japan. But by choosing Leinster he’ll be playing with 1 of the best clubs in the world and can win a champions cup and URC…..
6 Go to commentsThanks for that Marshy, noticed you didn't say who is gonna win it. We know who ain't gonna win it - your Crusaders outfit. They've gone from having arguably the best Super Rugby first five ever, to having a clutch of rookies. Hurricanes all the way!
1 Go to commentsGeez you really have to question the NRLs ability to produce players of quality. Its pathetic. Dont the 25mil in Aus produce enough quality womens players. Sad.
1 Go to commentsBulls fan here, and agree 100% with the conclusion (and little else) of this article. SA sides should absolutely f-off from the champs cup until we get fair scheduling, equal support for travel arrangements and home semis. You know, like all the european teams get.
26 Go to commentsI’m yet to see why Grace would be an ABs contender. He’s pedestrian and lacks the dominance required of a top flight 8.
11 Go to comments