Australia can be stopped at Twickenham only if a reshuffle by the hosts brings dynamism to a team so ponderous against Argentina
To say the weekend’s other games in Cardiff, Dublin and Paris put England’s opening autumn effort into sharp perspective is the understatement of the season. When Eddie Jones called it “a grindathon” he was being generous and the contest with Australia on Saturday will end unhappily unless his team show more dynamism up front and locate some rhythm behind. The frustrated head coach’s blunt second-half outburst – “How fucking stupid are we?” – did not bode well, either.
As anyone who stayed awake long enough will testify there was, literally, a yawning gap between England’s pre‑match rhetoric and what they ultimately delivered at Twickenham. One post-match suggestion was that it was all a devilish Jones masterplan to lull the Wallabies into a sense of false security.
Related: Eddie Jones defends foul-mouthed outburst over England’s lifeless display
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