Six Nations - England v Italy Review

It’s fair to say that when Eddie Jones said that he wanted his side to ‘take Italy to the cleaners’ most of us believed that they would. Predictions of a 30 or 40 point victory were common and really only those inside the Italian camp thought differently. Yet, instead of a breezy victory England were embroiled in what looked to have been their most frustrating game under Eddie Jones however it's one that I believe will hold them in good stead moving forwards. 

In the time that has elapsed since the match, and indeed during it, I don’t think that I heard or seen the word ‘ruck’ so much. Ruck gate, ruck in a teacup, zero ruck, anti ruck are all phrases that have been prominent since minute 11 on Sunday afternoon when Italy showed their hand. Needless to say the Azzurri arrived with an ace up their sleeve and one that highlights the astute rugby brains that are trying to lead them into better times. It was a card that not only frustrated England on the field but I believe frustrated England’s head coach considerably too. 

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Much has been discussed about Eddie Jones’ reaction the tactic that Italy employed and here’s my thoughts on this. So often England’s head coach has talked about his side making decisions on the field and changing the course of matches on the hoof. England found this to be a challenge in the opening half against Italy and I believe that he will have been both disappointed at their reaction time and also potentially annoyed that this may not have been a secnario that they accounted for in training. Eddie Jones is a perfectionist, he prepares his team meticiulously yet it appears to the naked eye that Italy throw in an unexpected curveball and that wouldn't sit well with the Australian. Also, positive rugby is what the Australian thrives on and clearly in his mind Italy’s actions didn’t provide that. Needless to say England's head coach was always going to speak his mind afterwards - he does this after every game - and the combination of both of the above factors lead to his direct analysis. He didn't think it was rugby and perhaps didn't hail the opposition's thinking in the way that some may have thought he should. Is that wrong? Well no because it's his opinion and we're all entitled to our own. 

So what of those challenges that England experienced in the first half? Well, criticism has flown various players’ way regarding their individual discussions with Romain Poite and reaction to what was in front of them and I personally don’t think that’s wholly fair. Hindsight and the outward perspective that you gain from a sofa at home or a seat in the stands makes such a strange situation much easier to analyse and adapt to. However in the heat of a battle and being faced by such an anomaly then amendments are often easier said than done. Without question an earlier adaption from England would have been ideal - as would fewer penalties and individual mistakes in the opening half - yet let’s not forget that over the course of the 80 minutes the right path was found and the bonus-point secured. As a result England remain poised for the Grand Slam and they will continue to develop as a side - an experience like Sunday’s will be of benefit moving forwards and you can bet your bottom dollar that Scotland will confront them with completely different tactics come the 11th March. 

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Finally a word on Italy, as I mentioned earlier their tactical nous and approach to the game shows that they have individuals in charge that are astute and innovative. Conor O’Shea and his team realise that they need to be smart in their approach and engage their players with new thinking. The question I have is what next? Ruck gate isn’t likely to work each time so it will be up to those involved in the set-up to continue to evolve and we will all be interested to see their output against France. 

Sunday’s Test match was one of the most intriguing that I’ve seen in a while and I do believe that the analysis of it will continue for a good few days to come. Next England turn their attentions to Scotland and personally I cannot wait for that game. We all wondered if Glasgow’s and Edinburgh’s success in the European competition would transfer onto the Six Nations stage and it has. Vern Cotter’s team are in a confident and will ignite England to raise their game. I expect to see a ‘conventional’ game of rugby played on the Twickenham turf and I expect it to be the most intense and hotly contested Calcutta Cup that we’ve seen in years. 

Six Nations - England Rugby

On Friday morning Twickenham Stadium played host to an Open Training session and 12,000 spectators had the opportunity to watch England’s squad train in the glorious February sunshine. The session wasn’t one that was conjured up for an audience instead  it was exactly what the players would have done if they had they been behind closed doors as Steve Borthwick made clear afterwards; 

“That’s exactly what we’d do at Pennyhill, it was no change to it because we were at Twickenham. We train at the level we want to play and that’s the way the training plan is created by Eddie.”

A 40 minute block, largely consisting of passages of play reacting to unstructured ball and what is often referred to as ‘chaos’ situations, was followed by 20 minutes of unit work and after that individuals did their own extras. Recently Eddie Jones provided us with a clear insight into one of the key techniques that he’s employed to take the squad to the next level;

"We use a methodology which I've borrowed from soccer called tactical periodisation," England’s head coach said following their Test match against Wales. 

"Every day we train a specific parameter of the game. We have one day where we have a physical session and do more contacts than we would do in a game. Then we have a fast day where we try to train for at least 60 percent of the session above game speed.

"We don't do any extra fitness. It's all done within those training sessions. Because of that we've improved our fitness enormously.”

England’s fitness is clear for all to see and it allows them to build and build during matches while their opponents find themselves in fifth gear with nothing left. Without question this will be one aspect that enables those selected to ‘put Italy to the cleaners’ in just over a week’s time. From my perspective next Sunday’s Test match is an intriguing one; the intrigue surrounding the match is not regarding the outcome instead it’s surrounding the selection choices that will be made. We know that Eddie Jones doesn’t hand out caps willy-nilly and instead every decision is made for a reason. Following their victory in Cardiff the Australian made it clear that that he wants to tweak a few things next time out;

“I’m looking at it all. We’ll look at playing a different sort of team. I’ve got some ideas of how we want to play against Italy; we will change it up a bit. One of the things I would like to do is to develop multiple ways that we can play so if we have a game where we want to play a certain way we have done it once and the players can do it again. This is all about building a plan for the World Cup.”

When you think about the detail of a ‘different sort of side’ here’s where the intrigue lies because England’s head coach has options available to him. Take the centres as an example, with Owen Farrell, Ben Te’o, Jonathan Joseph, Elliot Daly and Jack Nowell in the squad there are multiple avenues that could be explored. At full-back he has already said that he wants to see Elliot Daly there, Mike Brown is the incumbent and Anthony Watson may be fit to play a part in that position too. In the forward pack there are choices to make too given Jamie George’s form, James Haskell’s fitness and equally the prospect of potentially providing Jack Clifford with more air-time. In summary Eddie Jones has possibilities aplenty in front of him and as a result we should see his experience come to the fore when it comes to deciding which avenues are worth pursuing.

Already we've seen England's head coach’s experience manifest itself in a number different ways but none more so than regarding the timing of substitutions mid-game. Suffice to say making replacements by numbers is not Jones’ style as Steve Borthwick highlighted;

“That’s Eddie’s ability to recognise when to make a change and to make the right change – whether that is tactically, whether that is to bring a finisher on – has had a tremendously positive effect on the performance.

“I think he has got tremendous ability to read the game, which I have not encountered before. His ability to watch, understand and observe players, the flow of the game and the opposition of tactics, and bring them together quickly and make great decisions is tremendous.”

In the Twickenham sunshine England’s head coach was in the middle of the park driving the agenda and watching every single move made by his squad. While down time has been enjoyed by all this week their focus to keep improving and building remains stronger than ever. Despite such a strong winning run Eddie Jones and his team aren’t even remotely satisfied yet and those selected to face Italy will do everything in their power to impress and take another step forwards on the Twickenham turf.

Six Nations - Wales v England Review

Sport has the ability to take your breath away, it leaves you mesmerised, enraptured and enthralled and it evokes the most intense feelings of emotion. 

Any rugby fan that watched yesterday's Test from Cardiff - particularly those with loyalties to either England or Wales - will tell you that the above statement is true. There will be some that believe that I’ve gone a little overboard with my assessment and thrown in a description that's a little too 'fluffy' however I do believe that the majority of you will join me in my thoughts. 

England and Wales were embroiled in a classic that will live long in all of our memories. Both sides pushed themselves to the limits, and beyond, and it took 76 minutes for one to find a crack in the other's armoury. 

As ever Eddie Jones’ post match assessment hit all of the key nails on the head. After admitting that they had used up all of their ‘get out of jail cards’ he highlighted two great things that he witnessed from his side; their first and last 20 minutes and their grit. 

England’s grit is the area that I want to touch on for a moment because it's a vital weapon in their armoury now and something that has been building for a while. This week there was a real focus on the psychological aspects that arise with a trip to Cardiff and as we saw out there on the park England took it all in their stride. 

Prior to the Australian’s era true steel wasn't always there for England instead occasions would arise when it waned at key moments and matches were lost. Now, with such a run of victories in the bank, the characters that are thriving in the squad and the direction provided by Eddie Jones this England side are mentally rock solid and it's making a difference. 

Post match in Cardiff England's head coach said that they have ‘got characters in there that don’t know how to be beaten’ and these are characters that aren't even close to being satisfied with what they're achieving right now. They're driven beyond belief and know how much more there is to come from this group. In short having this mental resilience and edge is adding greatly to the physical qualities being developed on the training field as well and both are propelling England forwards. You expect that at some point in time this team will lose a Test match and then we will see another aspect to their resilience arise and that their ability to take defeat on the chin and learn from it. But, I doubt that will be during their next outing!

Once again it was the power of the 23 that ensured that England prevailed as the bench added new dimensions to the match. Every week England's head coach makes it very clear that in his side he has ‘starters’ and he has ‘finishers’ and yet I still see people gently mocking those words on social media and find myself asking why? Yes tradition and history says that those that aren't strong enough to start are placed on the bench however in this side the Australian has made it clear that the two sets of individuals are just performing different roles. As we all saw England’s first replacement arrived after just 45 minutes and from thereon six others moulded and shaped the latter stages with distinction. 

If I can, allow me to just shift my focus for a minute and deliver a word on Wales because boy did they play their part in the encounter. On home soil we witnessed a Welsh side playing better rugby than we’ve seen from them in a while. Against intense opposition Wales showed the strides that they are wanting to make under Rob Howley  and clicked in all areas. From the physical pack driven by Alun Wyn Jones' leadership and the outstanding Ross Moriarty to the sharpness of Liam and Scott Williams it worked and without question holds them in good stead for their trip to Scotland and beyond. 

Back to England and word on a few of their major players - Owen Farrell, Joe Launchbury and George Ford. The dynamic that the first and the latter provide in England's midfield is outstanding and the envy of many a nation. The inside centre's final pass to Elliot Daly was top draw and throughout England's fly-half showed the range of his distribution and vision. They make England tick, they run the show and constantly drive the standards. It's a partnership that may has starter as an interim measure but it's one that now delivers so much on every. And, what about Joe Launchbury? Industrious, super human and the ultimate athlete. The lock isn't flashy, he isn't exuberant, on or off the field, but he's just a great, great rugby player with an engine that never ceases. 20 tackles, 4 lineouts won and 18 carries are his top-line statistics... his name isn't in many people's Lions discussions but you know if given an opportunity he'd thrive in that jersey too. 

So what now for England? First and foremost the focus will be on getting their bodies back to something resembling normal - 'a human ice-pack' was the description of Courtney Lawes post game - and this fallow week from Test rugby is needed. Once the squad are recovered physically then it will be about getting the balance right between continuing to drive training forwards while giving both their bodies and minds a rest. 

While still under the lights of the Principality Stadium Eddie Jones made his team's next task clear and that is to 'take Italy to the cleaners'. It's a blunt, to the point and correct objective from Eddie Jones. Back at Twickenham Stadium personnel tweaks may arrive, finishers may become starters but the objective is clear it's onwards and upwards. 

Saturday's Test match in Cardiff was a showcase of two sides at the very top of their game. Outstanding athletes duelled for 80 minutes and did so with two passionate nations willing on their every move. In short it was a proper Test match and one that will go down in RBS Six Nations history as one of the very best. 

Six Nations - Wales v England Preview

One of the reasons why we all love the Six Nations Championship is the intensity of the rivalries between nations and when it comes to levels of intensity then I believe that the rivalry between England and Wales is the strongest of the lot. The fierce competition between supporters off the field and the quality of the players on it makes for scintillating Test weeks and ones that are unique within the Six Nations mix. 

A key challenge for England this week has been to acknowledge the ‘circus’ that surrounds this fixture in Cardiff without letting it de-rail them. What was made very clear by Dylan Hartley and Eddie Jones on Thursday afternoon was that their team are extremely well prepared for what lies ahead of them. They are fully aware that once they cross the Seven Bridge there are plenty of things that are outside of their control and one of the keys to a successful outing will be the management of these factors. The more experienced players in England's ranks have shared their knowledge with those that haven't played in Cardiff before and ample discussions have taken place regarding scenarios for any 'shenanigans' that may arrive, as Eddie Jones referred to them. In short England's management and players have sent a clear message out which is along the lines of 'do your worst, we don't care'.

In terms of the rugby then Eddie Jones' squad are expected to raise their game considerably following their off-colour outing at Twickenham Stadium. While France did make their own presence felt England weren't quite on the money but pleasingly delivered the result regardless. The resilience that they showed, to deliver such a ugly victory, is a sing of the team maturing and Saturday afternoon will be another test of that edge and steel.  Wales built nicely into their game against Italy and we all know that on home soil, against England, they raise their game by a good another percent or two. 

Selection wise the focus is on England's inexperienced back row unit and the introduction of Jack Clifford as one of Eddie Jones' starters. As a collective the trio have 110 caps fewer than their opposite numbers combined and their every move will be under the spotlight. Jack Clifford has been selected to provide additional pace and his head coach is confident that he's served his apprenticeship well and is ready for the occasion. Stating the very obvious, it's a tough ask to make only your second international cap against Wales in Cardiff but we all know that if it isn't working Eddie Jones won't hesitate to change things about. Needles to say it's sink for swim for Jack Clifford and I hope that he takes this opportunity and thrives. 

Looking at little broader at England then their pack need to really assert themselves around the park. Against France the scrum functioned well and bar a few line-out mishaps that area of the game was solid too but physically they lacked a little oomph. Physicality at the gain line and making that area their own will be vital to make up for the missing Vunipola brothers and from there that provides the platform for George Ford to be at his creative best and those around him to thrive. Jack Nowell's introduction is for his work rate - rightly Eddie Jones believes there won't be much space on the outside of Wales' defence so the Exeter Chief is there to come off his wing and make things happen. 

A trip to Cardiff is a test for any side and this weekend I believe that we will see a highly focused and well prepared England squad showing what they’re made of. Individuals have points to prove and as a whole they’re itching to get out there and remind everyone what they're capable of. In his own, no nonsense manner, Eddie Jones highlighted that they’re ‘bloody excited about playing there’ and I think that we all feel the same about watching this Test match.

Personally I believe that this RBS Six Nations encounter will be decided over the course of the full 80 minutes and not be a match that is done and dusted with 20 to go. England’s bench is packed with experience and I am of the opinion that they will have a very large role to play when it comes to deciding the outcome of the game. In summary this Round 2 fixture has all of the ingredients to be one of the Test matches of the Championship and I for one can't wait to see how it pans out!

Wales: 15 Leigh Halfpenny, 14 George North, 13 Jonathan Davies, 12 Scott Williams, 11 Liam Williams, 10 Dan Biggar, 9 Rhys Webb, 1, Rob Evans, 2 Ken Owens, 3 Tomas Francis, 4 Jake Ball, 5 Alun Wyn Jones (c), 6 Sam Warburton, 7 Justin Tipuric, 8 Ross Moriarty. Replacements: 16 Scott Baldwin, 17 Nicky Smith, 18 Samson Lee, 19 Cory Hill, 20 Taulupe Faletau, 21 Gareth Davies, 22 Sam Davies, 23 Jamie Roberts

England: 15 Mike Brown, 14 Jack Nowell, 13 Jonathan Joseph, 12 Owen Farrell, 11 Elliot Daly, 10 George Ford, 9 Ben Youngs, 1 Joe Marler, 2 Dylan Hartley (c), 3 Dan Cole, 4 Joe Launcbury, 5 Courtney Lawes, 6 Maro Itoje, 7 Jack Clifford, 8 Nathan Hughes Replacements: 16 Jamie George, 17 Matt Mullan, 18 Kyle Sinckler, 19 Tom Wood, 20 James Haskell, 21 Danny Care, 22 Ben Te’o, 23 Jonny May

Eddie Jones On...

As ever at Thursday's team announcement day Eddie Jones was on fine form and while a full match preview will be on the way before kick-off I’ll start the build up to this huge Round 2 match with a few of the Australian's key thoughts. 

There’s plenty to discuss this week so here are his words regarding a number of key areas including Wales’ outing in Rome, his back row selection, 'that' roof and their expectations heading to the hostile environment that is Cardiff.

Wales in Rome

Round one saw Wales take a spot of time to gain full ascendancy against Italy after Conor O’Shea’s men had a strong opening half. As ever England's head coach gave his clear assessment of his opponents' initial outing:

“Howley’s starting to have more of an imprint on the team. They want to play in that more Welsh way, which involves passing and depth of the back line, which is traditionally the way Welsh teams used to play. 

“It’s not dissimilar what Novès is doing with France. But I’m also impressed with changes they’ve made in their defence under Shaun Edwards. He’s been one of the foremost defence coaches in the world. He’s added the choice tackle to his team’s repertoire. They’re clearly improving their defence again.”

Adding to this England's head coach expects their opponents to show even more this weekend in Cardiff: 

"I think now Howley is more embedded as head coach they speak about wanting to pass the ball more and regenerate that Welsh style of play that gets the fans so excited. I think Wales will still have that Gatland hardness about them in the forwards and carry it hard in the forwards but they’ll be looking to release their backs and play with a bit of width. Howley likes to pass the ball so I anticipate they’ll pass the ball more."

Back row selection

In Cardiff there will be 110 caps difference between England’s and Wales’ respective trios with Jack Clifford making only his second international start. Yet for Eddie Jones this isn’t an issue and instead the Australian is looking forward to seeing the unit deliver and his young seven make his mark:

“They’re the best back row we have for this game. Nathan Hughes has been playing well for us, doing well against Australia and France. Itoje and Clifford are young guys learning the ropes and what a great place to learn them – the Principality Stadium. There are some ropes there.

“Before Clifford was picked, everyone here was telling me he’s the best young player but now I pick him, he’s too inexperienced so I don’t see how you can win here. He’s a great young player and deserves the opportunity and now’s the best opportunity for him.”

The Roof

When it comes to discussions about the roof being open or closed I sit firmly in the category of 'let's mention it once and be done with it'. Of course questions regarding whether it would be open or closed were part of the live press conference but as they continued England's head coach replied with the following:

"Are we short of stories this week? Are we? If that’s the main story we’re struggling. Are we struggling that much?"

His viewpoint on the matter was clear -  he would make a decision when required to and that wasn't until later in the day on Thursday:

"The roof guys, if you want to talk about it I’m not interested. Seriously it’s not a priority. It will be a priority when the time comes to make a decision. I’ll talk to our staff, I’ll talk to our players and see what they prefer and then we’ll say. That’s our stance."

Of course the time came and Eddie Jones did make a decision - to keep it open - something that he clearly believes will benefit his team and potentially also throws a little curveball at Wales in the process. 

Local nuances - atmosphere and shenanigans 

When it comes to experience then Eddie Jones has it in spades, without question it was one of the attributes that secured him the role in the first place. As a result of these experiences a little trip to Cardiff won't be giving him sleepless nights.

During the live press conference he openly discussed about being ready for 'shenanigans' and elaborated on that further afterwards highlighting that his team are fully prepared for whatever Wales may, or may not, throw at them:

“We’ve had some great discussions [about what to expect]. We’ve got a nice mix of players – we’ve got some players who’ve had a lot of experience and players who’ve had no experience. We’ve encouraged the interaction between the players on what you have to do to cope. 

“Wales to me are a bit like South Africa. They are countries where rugby is the main sport and the support is absolutely fever pitch. And the results affect the country, in South Africa’s case, and in Wales’ case, the principality. Rugby means such a lot - you go to those players and you feel that need to win, that urgency to want to win and to dismantle the opposition.

“You go to the hotel and unless you do things, players get rung incessantly through the night. Those things happen. You go to the ground and the traffic controller drives slower than the traffic’s going to make sure you’re late. You get to the ground and there’s something wrong with your dressing room – there’s lights off or the heaters switched off. Those things happen regularly in those sorts of countries. So the challenge for a team to play away is to be better than that. 

“They’re things you can’t control. Once we go down the M4 and cross the Severn River we don’t control anything. The only thing we control is our own mental state and the way that we play the game. That’s how good sides are and the way we want to be. This week’s been a great learning experience for the team in understanding that. Whatever we do on Saturday, we’ll be better for it.”

Focused preparation

Directly after the game last week Eddie Jones highlighted that he had prepared the side incorrectly and heaped the blame for their slightly off-colour performance on his own shoulders. At the time he admitted that he didn't know quite what he had done wrong yet but that he would look at it and rectify the situation accordingly. Needless to say the Australian has tweaked their preparation this week and here's how;

"We got a few things wrong and I don’t think my coaching of the team was great. We’re building towards the World Cup, we want to win the Six Nations but we want to win the World Cup and we have got a number of strategies and different methodologies in place that are longer term. In the short term some of those became a distraction. This week we’ve probably paired back a little bit and focused on the things we need to prepare for to win this Test match."

Six Nations - England v France Review

"It was a good win and it's always good to win when you don't play well. We didn't play well and I take full responsibility for the performance. Clearly I didn’t prepare the team well enough, I got some things wrong and I have a lot of homework to do over the weekend so that I make sure that the team plays much better against Wales."

No messing, straight to the point and shouldering the responsibility of England’s off day at Twickenham. That was Eddie Jones after a Six Nations opener that can only be described as a very ugly win. However the fact of the matter is that his side got the job done anyway and that shows a tremendous amount about their character and belief right now. 

From the opening minutes of the match when France enjoyed so much possession and confirmed to us all that they had arrived at Twickenham ready to make a statement it was obvious that England weren’t quite on the money. Passes that are usually slick and fluid were dropped or floated forwards and the go forward that is normally present was sorely lacking. Eddie Jones was clear following the final whistle that complacency was not the reason for the stuttering outing;

“I don’t think we were complacent. I just think we were so far away from playing how we play. Whether players fell back into club habits I’m not sure (?) particularly the forwards. 

We’re at our best when we’re at the opposition with big forwards running at them and we do that in the first half. Instead we sat back and as a result we didn’t get any quick ruck ball and as a result of that we couldn’t attack.”

While the performance as a whole won’t be remember fondly what will be is the impact that the bench made. At team announcement day on Thursday England’s head coach made the bold statement that he didn’t think that anyone in the world had a stronger bench than England and boy did they do a job. In particular the go forward that James Haskell and Ben Te’o created finally tipped England over the line and their new faces onto the field made the difference. 

The interesting thing now is looking at how Eddie Jones addresses selection for Wales. Just because these players came on and finished the game well for England doesn’t automatically mean that they’ll be starting against Wales. Eddie Jones talking constantly about it being a 23-man game and always stresses that he has 'starters' and 'finishers' and that both are required to play their role. Selection is where I believe that the Australian comes into his own as England's head coach - the fruits of his experience are showcased in the timing of substitutions and make-up of the 23-man squad -  so I’m looking forward to seeing his masterplan to take on Wales.

In terms of what England can expect from Wales, well we are not totally sure yet, but after 80 minutes against Italy we all will have a better idea. There will be a number of areas of focus this week from getting England's pack back to delivering at full force to nailing the psychology of going to Cardiff as Eddie Jones highlighted following the full time whistle:

“England versus Wales in Wales, can you believe the test record? 60 per cent have been won by Wales only 40 per cent have been won by England so obviously mentally there are things that go on. I’ve been to the Principality Stadium and it’s just another ground, so we’ll need to work out why the English don’t play well in Wales. I don’t know what it is… maybe it is something to do with crossing the Severn river!”

Without a doubt England’s opening outing sits in the category marked ‘one of those days’ but the strongest sides in any sport deliver victories when it looks highly unlikely that they are going to. Professional athletes are human and don’t always reach 100% on a match day, no matter how much they desire to, and France were tough opponents. Personally I think it was great to see Guy Noves' team playing with such purpose and clarity and Louis Picamoles' outing was one of the best No 8 performances I’ve seen for a while. 

After a recovery day on Sunday England will get back to Pennyhill Park and go hell for leather at their training week. The build up to a Test match against Wales always adds a little bit more spark than any other in the RBS 6 Nations and I have no doubt that England will be back to their usual shelves in the cauldron that is the Principality Stadium next Saturday afternoon. 

Six Nations - England v France Preview

Welcome to the 18th RBS 6 Nations Championship. Over the next two months we will eat, sleep and breath Six Nations and personally I can’t wait. While the phrase ‘this is going to be the most competitive’ ever is often misused, I firmly believe that with so many sides heading into 2017 off the back of productive autumns and with the backdrop of the forthcoming Lions tour we will see an unrivalled Championship. 

England have a number of records that they could realise over the course of the next two months. With a Grand Slam series they could become the first side to achieve that back-to-back and in doing so they would also surpass New Zealand’s Test record for successive victories. Unsurprisingly Eddie Jones has spent the week straight-batting questions back about them - sometimes with humour and other times with a look that says ‘really another record question, quit will you’!! I have to say it’s not a train of questioning I ever run down myself because it’s very clear that this side are motivated by continual improvement and not by records. England’s focus is on the here and now and the challenge that France will post at Twickenham today. 

Now, I’m not going to lie, when Guy Novès was handed the position as national coach of France I wondered if they’d made the appointment about 10 years too late. My thoughts were that while there was no question that Novès knew a thing or two about winning titles he was coming into his latter years. Needless to say the signs are that I was wrong and the man who had such sustained success with Toulouse has a plan for France and one that could see them getting back to somewhere resembling a strong side. Of course the age old question as to whether France will ‘turn up’ today still lingers, how could it not with the away mentality that is still entrenched at club level? However the signs are clear in Eddie Jones’ mind that France will mean business today:

“Under Novès, I think players want to play for France again. It is something special to play for France and they enjoy that style of game. You watch Clermont play and the principles of the way they play are the same. You watch Toulouse play and again the principles are the same. So if you look at French rugby, there are some general principles there and Novès has brought those into the team, and people want to play that style of game.”

So what of the England XV and bench that have been selected to face this newly organised, and potentially flair filled, French side? Well once again we’re about to see the vast depth of talent that England possesses and the reason why Eddie Jones as so attracted to this role in the first place. A pack that loses Billy Vunipola, Mako Vunipola, Chris Robshaw and George Kruis and still looks as bruising and menacing as England’s does sends a message to opponents across the world not just those participating in this Six Nations competition. 

England’s fulcrum of Ben Youngs, George Ford and Owen Farrell are ready to ignite the Twickenham turf again with their pace, vision and creativity and the stage is set for Elliot Daly to atone for his error against Argentina. Daly’s selection in front of Jack Nowell has turned a few heads and while the latter did miss training this week for personal reasons Eddie Jones said that, that wasn’t factor in his decision. From England’s point of view they need to harness the benefits that 14 Test victories delivers and those benefits are clear to their head coach:

“Winning gives you confidence and confidence breeds enthusiasm. Enthusiasm breeds more hard work and willingness to be innovative. One of the things that happens when you lose is that you tend to go into yourself and you go back to what you thought was comfortable and right. That’s where you get a cycle of going backwards.

When you win, you get the confidence to keep expanding your game and keep looking at different ways to get better. For instance, our strength and conditioning has probably changed 80 per cent in the last 12 months. As a result of that, our players are infinitely fitter than they were. 

That is the result of the players being able to embrace a new way of training and a new way of looking at how you have to be fit for Test rugby. When you win, players are more inclined to do that. When you lose, they are more inclined to going back to the old groove.”

The task for England today will be to put their game on the park from the opening minute and stifle any confidence that France have developed as a result of two weeks preparation time. England’s pack must take it to their opponents while their backs move up a gear and prove that they are the ones with all of the creativity and flair. So many of England's squad will know that this RBS Six Nations Championship is a huge opportunity for them to book their seat on the plane to New Zealand yet that will only come as a result of delivering week in, week out for England.  

Personally I expect it to be a good contest in the opening half and then England's superior fitness and bench to take it to France in the final quarter. But, as we all know this is Test rugby and anything can, and probably will, happen!

England: 15 Mike Brown, 14 Jonny May, 13 Jonathan Joseph, 12 Owen Farrell, 11 Elliot Daly, 10 George Ford, 9 Ben Youngs; 1 Joe Marler, 2. Dylan Hartley (c), 3 Dan Cole, 4 Joe Launchbury, 5 Courtney Lawes, 6 Maro Itoje, 7 Tom Wood, 8 Nathan Hughes. Replacements: 16 Jamie George, 17 Matt Mullan, 18 Kyle Sinckler, 19 Teimana Harrison, 20 James Haskell, 21 Danny Care, 22 Ben Te'o, 23 Jack Nowell.

France: 15 Scott Spedding, 14 Noa Nakaitaci, 13 Remi Lamerat, 12 Gael Fickou, 11 Virimi Vakatawa, 10 Camille Lopez, 9 Baptiste Serin; 1 Cyril Baille, 2 Guilhem Guirado (c), 3 Uini Atonio, 4 Sebastien Vahaamahina, 5 Yoann Maestri, 6 Damien Chouly, 7 Kevin Gourdon, 8 Louis Picamole. Replacements: 16 Clement Maynadier, 17 Rabah Slimani, 18 Xavier Chiocci, 19 Arthur Iturria, 20 Loann Goujon, 21 Maxime Machenaud, 22 Jean Marc Doussain, 23 Yoann Huget.