Eddie Jones missed his pillar players against Argentina, while Wales got off to a typically slow start and Scotland showed the risks attached to their open rugbyOwen Farrell will return to the England team against Australia on Saturday; the question is where. Eddie Jones played Henry Slade at 12 against Argentina but with a lack of quick ball, the Exeter centre was a marginal figure. The head coach has the option of restoring Farrell to inside-centre and moving Slade to 13, where he has excelled for the Chiefs this season, or putting Farrell at 10 in place of George Ford, who is not at his most effective when weighed down with slow possession. The decision should be made in conjunction...
Australia can be stopped at Twickenham only if a reshuffle by the hosts brings dynamism to a team so ponderous against ArgentinaTo 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...
Northern hemisphere countries hold the early cards but an almost-full-strength Australia will be confident having recently defeated New ZealandWith an experimental All Blacks side, a Jekyll and Hyde South Africa and a poor Argentina team it is fair to say Australia have breathed some much-needed life into the autumn internationals. Their recent win over New Zealand is a huge shot in the arm for them and it means their game at Twickenham is the pick of the whole autumn, though England and Ireland have every right to be confident of going unbeaten through November.The British & Irish Lions’ success in drawing their summer series is a big factor in that – of course, so is the fact that neither side...
Can Wales beat All Blacks for the first time since 1953, will Eddie Jones continue to work his magic at Twickenham and how heavy will injury toll be for the competing nations?The last time it happened was in 1953, so don’t hold your breath. But Warren Gatland’s Lions have given everyone hope by losing only one of their three summer Tests and Wales, at the very least, should be fresh and competitive. Do not underestimate Shaun Edwards’s motivational influence when he has a point to prove. Related: Ellis Genge at home with England as face-off with Wales declared ‘a draw’ Keep an eye on Scotland v Australia. Scotland beat the Wallabies in Sydney in June and will be up for...
The 76-year-old, who coached the brilliant Australia team of 1984, will pit his old-style attacking wits against the current Wallabies team on SaturdayRare is the coach who not only wins but talks a world-class game, too. Eddie Jones is the modern prototype but three decades ago there was another Australian guru named Jones with an even sharper tongue. Alan Jones was in charge of the 1984 grand slam-winning Wallabies, one of the finest teams to tour these islands, and makes today’s front men sound like quiet suburban accountants.Not so long ago Jones suggested the best thing Australia’s then coach, Robbie Deans, could do to assist the national side was to shut up and stay at home in bed. He has...