On Thursday morning Eddie Jones’ selection decisions for England’s first Test of the 2017 Old Mutual Wealth Series were made clear and just a few hours later at Pennyhill Park he provided further insights into the decisions that he has made.
A full match preview article will be on the way during the course of Friday but before this one provides a snappier look at some of Eddie Jones' opinions on various subjects.
Here the focus is on the Australian’s beliefs regarding their opponents, an insight into the reactions of Owen Farrell and Maro Itoje when they were told that they will be rested for the match and the head coach’s thoughts on Henry Slade’s development.
Argentina
“It’s going to be a tough game. They’re coming off the back of not a good season, they’re coach is under pressure and the players are under pressure. But, they know if they beat England at Twickenham then their whole season turns around. They’ll go back to Buenos Aires sitting on the beach as heroes and everyone will want to buy them and beer and a steak.
“So we’ve got to make sure that at the start of the game we set the standard and the tone of the game and that’s going to start up front. It’s going to start with the forwards, with Dylan and the front row and it goes back from there. That’s the aim of the game, to put our stamp on up front.”
Owen Farrell’s and Maro Itoje’s reactions to being rested
“They hate it, which is a great reaction. They hate it because they want to play every test. They love playing for England. They are proud of playing for England and they want to be part of a winning team. They don’t like it.
“So we have got to convince them, not just me but the rest of the staff, that it is in their best interests for this period of time. Then for next week we will try to work out what is in their best interests again.”
Henry Slade’s development
“It’s taken him some time. Sometimes those really talented kids don’t understand how you have to work hard, to change that talent into consistent performance. He’s really learned that. He is diligent about doing the small things right and his determination to get better has been outstanding.
“Just for instance, one of the most important stats we collect is on high-speed running. Imagine we kick the ball and you have to sprint after that ball, then the ball goes back over your head and you’ve got to spring back. He was the lowest in our team 12 months ago. On Tuesday when we trained he was the highest, and that just comes down to effort, application and doing the small things.”
England’s intention to be combative up front
"I think that rugby is always about that [combative up front]. That’s the great thing about our game… we’ve got a contest for the ball and that contest is between the big guys. The contest isn’t between the little guys for the ball, it’s between the big guys and you’ve got a tactical and physical contest for the ball.
“That’s where the game is won or lost because if you get good quality ball then the little guys run with it and we’ve got guys that can run fast and that have good hands. So, we’re quite clear how we want to play rugby and we’re quite clear how we want to develop our game and this is another opportunity for us to get better on Saturday.”
Sam Underhill and back row options
"100%, he's a genuine openside. Curry is the same and Simmonds we're not quite sure yet. He might join the 6 and a half club! They're all talented players.
"We've got some good young back-rowers coming through so it's quite exciting for us and they're all under the age of 20."
Where To Watch: England versus Argentina is live on Sky Sports Action and Main Event from 2pm on Saturday. Kick-off 3pm.
