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
Eddie Jones has done a great job. Look where England were before he started. If I were him I would be changing some of the backroom staff. Change is good and necessary.
— Sandman (@richard_keeley) November 26, 2019
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
As a temporary move what's the betting that Eddie will bring in Glen Ella for the 6 Nations? Other possibilities include: Andrew Johns, Ricky Stuart (both have helped England recently) or perhaps as an outside bet Will Greenwood/Jonny Wilkinson.
— John Pearce (@JohnPearce984) November 26, 2019
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
The game was a quarter final, not a semi final. Barrett will be here for 6 months, he is no one's replacement at 13. That mantle will most likely ultimately go to Jamie Osborne, though Garry Ringrose has at least 4 more years in him. The long term problem position (in the next 3 years) for Leinster is tighthead prop, though there are a couple of prospects at schools level.
21 Go to commentsSo much for all that hype surrounding the ‘revival’ of Aussie rugby. The Blues were without the likes of regular starters Perofeta, Sullivan, Christie etc… This was a capitulation of the highest order by Australia’s finest. Joe Schmidt definitely has his work cut out for him.
2 Go to commentsYes they can ignore Sotutu. Like Akira Ioane plays OK at Super level but gets lost in tests. Too many chances too many failures.
2 Go to commentsA wallaby front-row of Bell, Blake and Tupou…now that would be hefty
1 Go to comments“But with an exceptional pass accuracy rating “ Which apart from Roigard is not a feature of any of the other 9s in NZ. Kind of basic for a Black 9 dont.you. think? Yet we keep seeing FC and TJ being rated ahead of him? Weird if it’s seen as vital to get our backline beating in your face defences.
1 Go to commentsThanks BeeMc! Looks like many teams need extra time to settle from the quadrennial northern migration. I think generally the quality of the Rugby has held up. Fiji has been fantastic and fun to watch
13 Go to commentsLets compare apples with apples. Lyon sent weak team the week before, but nobody raised an eyebrow. Give the South African teams a few years to build their depth, then you will be moaning that the teams are too strong.
41 Go to commentsDid footballs agents also perform the scout role at some time? I’m surprised more high profile players haven’t taken up the occupation, great way to remain in the game and use all that experience without really requiring a lot of specific expertise?
1 Go to commentsSuper rugby is struggling but that has little to do with sabbaticals. 1. Too many teams from Aust and NZ - should be 3 and 4 respectively, add in 2 from Japan, 1 possibly 2 from Argentina. 2. Inconsistent and poor refereeing, admittedly not restricted to Super rugby. Only one team was reffed at the breakdown in Reds v H’Landers match. Scrum penalty awarded in Canes v Drua when No 8 had the ball in the open with little defence nearby - ideal opportunity to play advantage. Coming back to Reds match - same scrum situation but ref played advantage - Landers made 10 yards and were penalised at the breakdown when the ref should have returned to scrum penalty. 3. Marketing is weak and losing ground to AFL and NRL. Playing 2 days compared with 4. 4. Scheduling is unattractive to family attendance. Have any franchises heard of Sundays 2pm?
11 Go to commentsAbsolutely..all they need is a chance in yhe playoffs and I bet all the other teams will be nervous…THEY KNOW HOW TO WIN IM THE PLAYOFFS..
2 Go to commentsI really hope he comes back and helps out with some coaching.
1 Go to commentsI think we are all just hoping that the Olympic 7s doesn’t suffer the same sad fate as the last RWC with the officials ruining the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsPersonally, I’ve lost the will to even be bothered about the RFU, the structure, the participants. It’s all a sham. I now simply enjoy getting a group of friends together to go and watch a few games a year in different locations (including Europe, the championship, etc). I feel extremely sorry for the real fans of these clubs who are constantly ignored by the RFU and other administrators. I feel especially sorry for the fans of clubs in the Championship who have had considerable central funding stripped away and are then expected to just take whatever the RFU put to them. Its all a sham, especially if the failed clubs are allowed to return.
10 Go to commentsI’m guessing Carl Hayman would have preferred to have stayed in NZ with benefit of hindsight. Up north there is the expectation to play twice as many games with far less ‘player management’ protocols that Paul is now criticising. Less playing through concussions means longer, healthier, careers. Carter used as the eg here by Paul, his sabbatical allowed him to play until age 37. OK its not an exact science but there is far more expectations on players who sign for Top 14 or Engl Prem clubs to get value for the huge salaries. NZR get alot wrong but keeping their best players in NZ rugby is not one of them. SA clubs are virtually devoid of their top players now, no thanks. They cant threaten the big teams in the Champions Cup, the squads have little depth. Cant see Canes/Chiefs struggling. Super has been great this year, fantastic high skill matches. Drua a fantastic addition and Jaguares will add another quality team eventually. Aus teams performing strongly and no doubt will benefit with the incentive of a Lions tour and a home RWC. Let Jordie enjoy his time with Leinster, it will allow the opportunity for another player to emerge at Canes in his absence.
11 Go to commentsLove that man, his way to despise angry little men is so funny ! 😂
4 Go to comments“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
25 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
4 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
10 Go to commentsWell that’s the contracts for RG and Jordie bought and paid for. Now, what are the chances we can persuade Antoine to hop over with all the extra dosh we’ll have from living at the Aviva & Croke next season…??? 🤑🤑🤑
37 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
37 Go to comments