Operation Dead Meat: Ruthless Eddie Jones wields the knife again for England | Robert Kitson

The head coach has rung the changes again for his Six Nations squad but if another poor performance follows then questions will have to be asked of his selection methods

There has been much talk in Downing Street circles this week of “Operation Red Meat”, which apparently involves lobbing juicy policy initiatives at Tory backbenchers to distract them from recent events. With Eddie Jones it is slightly different: “Operation Dead Meat” seems to be the subtext of most of his England squad announcements these days.

The selection door, we are constantly informed, is never closed. Admittedly, Jamie George was recalled from squad oblivion in November and Jack Nowell has resurfaced after three years of injury-hit Six Nations exile. But try telling George Ford, Billy and Mako Vunipola – and even Elliot Daly – that a fulfilling England future still awaits them. Or advising Adam Radwan, Alex Mitchell and Louis Lynagh that their omission from the latest 36-man Six Nations training squad is a hidden blessing for their 2023 World Cup prospects. Jones’s blade, when it materialises, tends to be razor sharp.