Why England haemorrhaging coaches won't faze Jones
England’s confirmation that attacking coach Scott Wisemantel will move on from his position may not come as a surprise to many.
After Dave Rennie was announced as Australia’s new head coach last week, it has been expected that Wisemantel would leave his post he has held for 18 months to join the setup in his homeland. While that is not confirmed yet, it is imminent.
Eddie Jones’ coaching team is set for a major reshuffle, as scrum coach Neal Hatley has returned to Bath, and forwards coach Steve Borthwick has long been rumoured to be going to Leicester Tigers.
There was obviously a good balance between Jones’ staff at the Rugby World Cup recently, as they led England to the final. This disbandment looks ominous after the promising signs in Japan, but it may not be as disastrous as it first appears.
When Jones took the reins of England four years ago, he brought with him Borthwick from Bristol and Paul Gustard from Saracens as his core team. While the former England lock has remained throughout, the coaching team has evolved continuously.
Hatley was recruited later in 2016, while it was not until the tour of South Africa in 2018 that Wisemantel was brought in. It was even later that John Mitchell replaced Gustard as defence coach, and helped reinvigorate a lacklustre team.
What is clear is that Jones’ team is ever-changing and adapting, which may partly be down to his demands but also to avoid the possibility of the setup growing stale, which probably happened in early 2018.
Wisemantel has done a wonderful job during his tenure, but Jones has called upon others over the past four years that have equally been beneficial. Glen Ella has been called upon over the past four years to help with England’s attack, and was instrumental in England’s rampant whitewash series in Australia in 2016. The structure has never been set in stone, it has been a dynamic process that ultimately led to England peaking in Japan, albeit they fell short.
https://twitter.com/Cookadoodledoo/status/1199236801636061184?s=20
https://twitter.com/EricAnbo/status/1199234596845449216?s=20
https://twitter.com/richard_keeley/status/1199287215270121472?s=20
There is no denying that England’s attack over the past 18 months has looked insatiable at times; they scored ten tries more than anyone else in the Six Nations and proved too much for the All Blacks to handle at the RWC. Combining the power of England’s pack with the subtle hands of players like Mako Vunipola and Kyle Sinckler, Wisemantel helped orchestrate an attack that left opposition defences completely lost at times, and provided a lot of space for England’s fleet-footed outside backs.
https://twitter.com/golarz75/status/1199285808475332608?s=20
https://twitter.com/JohnPearce984/status/1199334422606036992?s=20
Wisemantel will be missed by England, as will Hatley and Borthwick (if he does leave), but Jones’ long and varied career has meant he has built a number of relationships with people he can call upon. While Mitchell remains, a fresh start may even be what is needed for England after a RWC cycle, as Jones has also alluded to an overhaul in his squad as well.
What is most important, is that this has been an era defined by change, so it is nothing out of the ordinary.
Comments on RugbyPass
Its a great idea but one that I dont think will have a lot of traction. It will depend om 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 od World Cup years.
5 Go to commentsHi, Dave here. Happy to answer questions 🥰
5 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?
5 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 commentsWe had during the week twilight footy, twilight cricket, tw golf plus there was the athletics club. Then the weekend was rugby 15s plus the net ball, really busy club scene back then but so much has changed and rugby has suffered. And it was all about changing lifestyles.
6 Go to comments