Eddie Jones On...

England are going into this Six Nations Championship with no less than 13 players unavailable due to injury or disciplinary reasons therefore you can understand Eddie Jones’ selection decisions taking a while to finalise. 

England's head coach said that he was up to 'version 26' on this squad and was still refining it at 10:30pm the evening before announcement day. Eddie Jones never calls those that are included, ‘they can find out through you guys’ were his words. Instead, he speaks to those that have missed out and explains why. In this article I'm going to shine the light on a few specific areas that England's head coach discussed during squad announcement day at Twickenham Stadium. 

When it comes to the list of those that are injured or suspended then Eddie Jones is anticipating that we will see a few faces coming back into the mix over the course of the Six Nations but not all. Of course we know when suspensions finish and if required Joe Marler is allowed to train with England during his time on the sidelines which may be prove to be useful given the lighter nature of the national side's resources at loosehead prop. 

Injury wise Charlie Ewels 'should be back in at some stage', Nathan Hughes isn't rehabbing as quickly as they would like but is targeted to return 'halfway through possibly' and Ben Te'o will be assessed next week. Eddie Jones didn't like to comment whether or not the centre may be playing for Worcester this weekend, so we'll watch that space. Mike Brown is not likely to train fully in Portugal as he has 'some blurred vision' and has been to the surgeon and  when it comes to Billy Vunipola the update, word for word, was that 'he is definitely a 12-weeker, potentially.' 

One area that Eddie Jones afforded more clarity on was his decision-making around the scrum-half position and the number of scrum-halves that he has in camp. 

“We are very clear who would back them up -- we have conversations with those players. There are three back-up half-backs Robson, Wigglesworth or Vellacott, who's really impressed me of late. We've been in conversation with those three guys and if the situation is we need another half, we can call one of those depending on what sort of half-back we want. 

“I see them pretty regularly. It's difficult having more than two half-backs in a camp because then you limit their training time and training time is so important for us. That's one of the reasons. When we've got an extended period of training time, I'll bring more half-backs in.”

In this particular squad Jack Nowell is specifically listed as an 'inside back' and has chance to showcase to Eddie Jones that he can add another string to his Test bow. 

"It just gives is more options. See that we’re down to seventh or eighth at loosehead. We know about 2015 RWC. We want to have four or five options. Jack is a great little wing. We know that. Potentially he can play full-back and if I can find out that he can play 13, he becomes a great squad player for us."

When it comes to England's resources up front it's a straight shoot-out between Lewis Boyce and Alec Hepburn for a place on the bench against Italy and England's head coach was very clear that both have the potential to cut it at Test level.

"100 per cent. They both have the potential. You’ve got to remember: international rugby, you have talent that comes into the room, and once you get in the room it’s how hard you work and how much you want it and how much effort you are prepared to put in. These boys have all got talent. There another 35 players in England who have the talent to play international rugby, it’s whether they’ve got the desire, the ability to dig deep when it hurts….”

“You just look at loosehead props now, what they’re required to do. It is amazing. You’ve got someone like Mako Vunipola, he’s 125ks, that’s big enough to be a Sumo wrestler. He makes 20 tackles a game, carries the ball 10 times, cleans out 20 times, scrums 15 times, lifts in the line-out 18 times. What those guys do now, compared to what a prop did 10 years ago, has increased at least two-fold. So because of that, they’re in pain the whole time. That’s hard work. It’s hard work to do. So the test is the mental part of it, whether they can keep doing that. Whether they can get off the floor quickly and get back in the defensive line. It’s not about talent.”

I'd like the finish with the answer that Eddie Jones' gave to the question asking if the forthcoming competition is a tougher test than the recent autumn internationals. His words were as follows:

"It struck me when I was in Australia, just how much interest there now is in the Six Nations. There’s this bubbling enthusiasm about the game here and you’ve got the rise of Ireland, the rise of Scotland and you’ve got Wales who have been a super power of European rugby for a long time now. England has had some small success and France have got a new coach which makes them dangerous. 

"If you look at some of the metrics of the game then France is one of the best teams in the world and they have got the ability to be the best team in the world. So, you’ve got this competition now where you’ve got at least four or five of the top six teams in the world playing against each other and it’s a great competition."

Small success for England then in comparison to a 'super power,' 'rising' and 'dangerous' teams. So far, England's small success has included back-to-back Six Nations Championships, one of which was a Grand Slam, however that's clearly not enough to constitute a greater compliment in his eyes and I like that. 

Eddie Jones' drive, ambition and desire for this squad is summarised in that statement. Yes, you could say that he's been quite generous to some of the other nations but it's an approach that will fuel those working with him and drive all to succeed. Once again it is another indication of the intense motivation that is driving this national side and injuries or not they will target with nothing less than a third Six Nations Championship in a row. 

England Rugby Squad for Italy

On Thursday morning Eddie Jones announced his England squad that will prepare to take on Italy on the opening weekend the 2018 Six Nations tournament. With 13 players unavailable due to injury or disciplinary reasons England's head coach's hand has been forced somewhat in certain areas and as a result eight uncapped players are part of the 35-man training group. 

"This is version 26. I was still on it at 10.30pm last night. Finalising it. It has been one of the most difficult to put together because of the various situations with players. I’m really happy with it, excited by our prospects of doing well particularly as been written off. No-one thinks we can win the Six Nations so we have got an opportunity to hunt the other teams down."

Written off is perhaps a strong way of putting it however there's no question that England's challenge to secure a third Six Nations Championship in a row has been made more difficult by the extensive list of players that are unavailable to Eddie Jones. That said the depth of talent in English rugby is strong, it was one of the reasons why the 57-year-old took the job in the first place, and it has been showcased over the course of his tenure. England's tour to Argentina was a clear example over the coming two months it must be clearly illustrated once again with the likes of Lewis Boyce, Alec Hepburn and Zach Mercer all having to step up to the mark. 

When it comes to Bath Rugby's forward Eddie Jones was clear that he would have liked the 20-year-old to have had a longer apprenticeship than the one that he has been afforded. However the situation is such that Mercer must be thrust into the selection frame and 'could certainly get an opportunity during the Six Nations.' Bath's form of late has been undulating however Mercer's contributions have been consistent, marked and impressive. I love the way that he has stepped into the Bath side at such a young age and taken it all in his stride and I just hope that the young talent isn't overcome physically by those that he may encounter at Test level, the likes of CJ Stander, Sergio Parisse etc.

This weekend the final round of the Champions Cup arrives in town and Eddie Jones is unconcerned by the fact that the many of the English clubs aren't in the best position when it comes to qualifying for the knockout stage. Not for the first time he made the point that club rugby and international rugby are different and that that clubs' success doesn't not overly impact on him. 

"Not at all [concerned]. Because it doesn't affect international form. There's a distinct difference between club rugby and international rugby. Whilst you always like your players to win, if they’re not successful at club level it doesn’t mean that you can’t be successful at international level."

The road to success this this Six Nations starts with their camp in Portugal and the start of that camp will be a 'fairly untraditional for us'. Eddie Jones is going to treat it as a mini pre-season and then commence team training on the Thursday of that first week with all eyes on Italy. Why? That's all with Rugby World Cup 2019 in mind and is part of balancing short-term goals with that longer term picture. When I asked England's head coach what exactly what he was expecting from Italy he answered with a glint in his eye, clearly remembering back to last year's 'different' encounter at Twickenham Stadium. 

"They're a well-coached side, Conor O'Shea and Brendan Venter have done a good job.  They played much better rugby in November and have discovered some good new talent. They've still got their iconic players in Sergio Parisse and Canna, their young No 10, has been playing some good rugby.

"If you look at their last game against South Africa, at the 20-minute mark they were 7-6 down and they had South Africa under pressure. They weren't able to sustain that but again they're having more control over their players so I would think that for the Six Nations they're going to be fitter, which has traditionally been one of their problems. It's going to be a tough old game."

A tough old game it will be and on the horizon is a Six Nations Championship that, in some areas, will stretch England's squad depth to the max. However, that will be of benefit when it comes to their ultimate goal and as England's head coach says it's better to have an injury run like this now than in 2019. 

England Squad for Italy

Backs
 
Full backs

Mike Brown (Harlequins), Nathan Earle (Saracens) *, Harry Mallinder (Northampton Saints) *, Jonny May (Leicester Tigers), Denny Solomona (Sale Sharks), Anthony Watson (Bath Rugby)

Inside backs

Danny Care (Harlequins), Owen Farrell (Saracens), George Ford (Leicester Tigers), Jonathan Joseph (Bath Rugby), Alex Lozowski (Saracens), Jack Nowell (Exeter Chiefs), Henry Slade (Exeter Chiefs), Ben Te’o (Worcester Warriors), Marcus Smith (Harlequins) * **, Ben Youngs (Leicester Tigers)

Forwards

Back five

Gary Graham (Newcastle Falcons) *, Nick Isiekwe (Saracens), Maro Itoje (Saracens), George Kruis (Saracens), Courtney Lawes (Northampton Saints), Joe Launchbury (Wasps), Zach Mercer (Bath Rugby) *, Chris Robshaw (Harlequins), Sam Underhill (Bath Rugby)

Front row

Lewis Boyce (Harlequins) *, Dan Cole (Leicester Tigers), Tom Dunn (Bath Rugby) *, Jamie George (Saracens), Dylan Hartley (Northampton Saints), Alec Hepburn (Exeter Chiefs) *, Kyle Sinckler (Harlequins), Mako Vunipola (Saracens), Harry Williams (Exeter Chiefs)

Players unavailable

Tom Curry (Sale Sharks), Elliot Daly (Wasps), Charlie Ewels (Bath Rugby), Piers Francis (Northampton Saints), Ellis Genge (Leicester Tigers), James Haskell (Wasps), Nathan Hughes (Wasps), Joe Marler (Harlequins), Matt Mullan (Wasps), Beno Obano (Bath Rugby), Semesa Rokoduguni (Bath Rugby), Will Spencer (Worcester Warriors), Billy Vunipola (Saracens).

Uncapped *

Apprentice player **

Eddie Jones extends his contract

On the 20th November 2015 Eddie Jones sat at Twickenham Stadium and was formally announced as England’s head coach. At the time English rugby was hurting after the events of the few months prior and the task in front of any coaching taking the role was a large one. Personally I remember that day well and looking back the words that I wrote at the time about Eddie Jones were that 'he knows the task at hand and has a management and personal style that will be good for both the RFU and England's players'. Now, 790 days later he has led England to 22 victories and has signed a contract extension with the RFU until August 2021. 

It’s clear that the relationship between the RFU and Eddie Jones is working and working well and equally the relationship between England's players and their head coach is thriving. Now the 57-year-old is astute enough to know that it won't all be plain-sailing results wise however he's been in the world of professional sport for long enough to be able to take whatever comes in his stride. 

The conversations regarding extending Eddie Jones' contract occurred only very recently as England's head coach made clear.

“I was never arrogant or presumptuous enough to think I would be offered anything beyond 2019. I went away over Christmas, had some time in Australia and Japan, came back refreshed. Stephen and I had a chat, he offered me the opportunity and I could see the value that I could possibly bring to that situation and it was an easy decision in the end.

"I am enjoying the job, love the job and when he opportunity came along to continue, it was a pretty easy decision. I think there is an opportunity to do something a bit different and to leave some sort of legacy for English rugby."

It was clear yesterday at Twickenham Stadium that creating this 'legacy for English rugby'  is something that ticks a lot of boxes for Eddie Jones and adds a new dimension and level to his role. 

"That’s part of the deal. I’m excited about it. I have been in other teams that have been successful and the transition to other coaches has not been successful, you see the team fall away. With my age, I can see a great situation in being able to bring another coach through, working with that coach for a period of time and handing over a successful team."

The RFU will have the final decision regarding his successor but the fact that the 57-year-old will be so involved in the process brings all of his expertise to the table and it also means that in the months prior to Rugby World Cup 2019 the questions regarding Eddie Jones' future aren't at the forefront of everyone's minds. Instead the focus should remain on RWC 2019 and the primary goal of winning the competition. 

On Wednesday afternoon RFU CEO Steve Brown explained further detail regarding the RFU's thinking regarding this new succession plan and some of the intricacies regarding potential candidates. 

“One thing that really struck me that Eddie said to me when I can into the job, literally in the first week or so is the key to sustained success is a model or a system that works that lives beyond the individuals as well. That’s what we’re trying to do here, we’re trying to build something that we haven’t done before. They come to an end at a certain point and then get reset, so that’s the fundamental basis for this. 

"We don’t preclude any option here but we’re going to have to find the very best person that’s out there, that’s the best for England as well. If that’s an up and coming person that’s peaking at that time then definitely we will consider them but this isn’t going to be a trainee role, this is a serious business. We’re planning to be on the back of some significant success in 2019 so we’re going to want to continue that. So, it’s about keeping that core system going and getting them fundamentals in place with the senior coaching team as well and then building on that for 2023. So it’s a long term plan.”

The crossover season or period of transition time is a new dynamic and one that could pose some questions when it comes round to it. Will it preclude some individuals from throwing their hat into the mix because they'd like to be #1 from the offset? Or will it simply facilitate the transition and make it better than it has ever been before? Of course the hope and reason for making this part of the process is the aim to achieve the latter. 

Right now Eddie Jones is about to announce his squad for England's Six Nations opera against Italy and then continuing on with the job as normal. Nothing will change on a day to day basis for the Australian or for his squad but there's a clear path ahead and I believe it's one that's firm and that should benefit both England's head coach now and the next that comes into the role.

'2018 is when you win or lose the World Cup'

England Rugby’s 2018 started in wet and windy conditions at Brighton College today, if we look ahead to this time next year then the side will be entering a World Cup year and we all know that the next 12 months will pass in the blink of the eye. 

For England’s head coach 2017 was all about ‘increasing the depth of the squad’. This message was set early and permeated throughout the year with Eddie Jones’ selection for the tour to Argentina the most obvious expression of that articulated aim.  

As you’d expect 2018 has a different role when it comes to his side’s continued development and progression towards their ultimate goal of lifting the William Webb Ellis Trophy on the Saturday 2 November 2019. 

“2018 is when you win or lose the World Cup. In terms of your planning, preparation, developing a team that is tough enough, resilient enough, and adaptable enough to win a World Cup.”

It’s clear for everyone to see that England’s progression since Rugby World Cup 2015 has been marked. I think that it’s fair to say that even the most optimistic of England fans wouldn’t have predicted the national side to have thrived quite as much as they have done since that difficult time. That said the job isn’t done yet and Eddie Jones has his sights firmly set on further evolution and progression during 2018 and 2019.

“The game is evolving. I think that defence is going to evolve over the next 24 months, sides have defended a certain way and I think that is going to change with some law interpretation changes. We want to be at the head of that queue of how you defend.”

England’s head coach finished that statement by saying that he wouldn’t go into more detail than that, understandably he doesn’t want the intricacies of his thoughts on the game’s evolution out in the pubic domain. They are to be kept tight within the camp in order to give the side their own advantage.

“Attack again will be a consequence of defence changing – you need to be able to attack in a number of ways. What stands out to me, particularly knowing the varying environments we could find in Japan, the first two games will be under a dome [Sapporo v Tonga, and Kobe Misaki Stadium v USA] so they will be almost perfect conditions. Generally in those sorts of conditions a kicking game is important and a running game is important. That seems contradictory but it’s not.

“Then in Yokohama and Tokyo we could be playing in pouring rain, like today. Therefore your short game becomes so important, your ability to punch holes and to play through holes. So, developing that adaptability and awareness of how to attack depending on the conditions is so important for us.”

In Eddie Jones mind that doesn’t mean developing two totally different XVs instead it’s about taking his squad and ensuring they have the required adaptability and durability to thrive in both environments.

When it comes to his squad, for so many a hot topic of discussion right now is England’s captain, Dylan Hartley. Personally, I’ve observed that since the Northampton Saint took over as captain, the level of scrutiny on every particular regarding his role has been vast. From my perspective I believe that it has been, and is, perhaps just a little too intense. 

“It’s been a tough time for him. When you are captain of a club that is struggling, a club  that has just sacked their coach, it becomes a difficult time. I think that has been reflective of his play but as the very good players do - they compartmentalise things – and he’s done that terrifically well, come in and led with effervescence, trained well, he’s been good.”

Not being part of the squad at Northampton Saints I wouldn’t like to comment and make assumptions about the atmosphere or mood in their camp right now. Instead what I will say is that I expect that a few days in a different context, away from the pressures and stresses likely present at club level, may have been fortifying and revitalising and I for one believe that we’ll see Dylan Hartley have a storming Six Nations Championship.

On the topic of club rugby then Eddie Jones also shared his perspective regarding the lie of the land and highlighted what he is focusing on when we see him sitting in the crowd at Premiership grounds up and down the country. 

“I don’t watch club rugby to assess them on how they play at clubs. I watch club rugby to assess how they are going to play at international level, which is completely different. Some guys can be outstanding club players and be poor at international level. Some guys can be poor club players and outstanding international players.”

Two players that have been identified as international players of the future are England's apprentices; Marcus Smith and Zach Mercer. With regard to the Bath Rugby man the national head coach said that he has ‘got to find a body’. In other words, highlighting the fact that the back row forward is still a young man with some physical development to go. When it comes to Harlequins’ stand-off then Eddie Jones was the most explicit that we’ve heard him regarding the potential route forward for the teenager;

“Marcus I don’t think is ready to play Test rugby I think that he is miles away.  He’s got some fundamental flaws in his game that he understands and that he’s got to work on. He’s a young kid learning his trade. 

“We want to develop him as a player. I see him as an important investment for English rugby. We'd ideally like to get him right for the World Cup because then he fills a role as a third stand-off for us. 

"The only way we're going to develop him is to allow him to play for Harlequins and then bring him into camps and try and put extra work into him.”

England’s head coach will name a squad for the Six Nations on Thursday 18 January and of course the first of their Six Nations matches arrives on February 4. 

The aims of this camp were to set the tone for the coming weeks and to focus on that game against Italy. Beno Obano and Gary Graham gained their first call ups and both ‘really impressed’ the man critiquing them with the latter being likened to Chris Robshaw;

“He reminds me a bit of Robshaw so he is not an out and out seven, he is a good tough boy, he has got a nice demeanour about him, hungry, very impressive.”

Right now all of Eddie Jones’ charges are heading back to their clubs with the task of showing him that they sit firmly in the ‘outstanding international players’ category. Over the next 12 months the collective task will be to continue to develop on the steep upward trajectory that we’ve seen occur since the 57-year-old and his coaching team took over and ultimately, finish a year when ‘you can win or lose a World Cup’, in a position to win it.