The Six Nations champions were confounded by a legitimate plan to avoid rucks by not committing to the breakdown after tacklesBack when Eddie Jones was coaching in Japan he complained that his players spent too much time learning to play the game by rote, running through the same old drills without trying anything new. Always ready with a quote, he said that “everyone drives 10,000 hours but few of us become better drivers”.A good rugby player, Jones explained, has to be able think on his feet. “A lack of creativity,” he said, “means we have fewer players with the decision-making skills needed to win games of rugby.” Well, against England Italy showed plenty of creativity and Jones’s players were presented...
Coach changes players from a tea-and-scones approach to sharp right to the end, which has helped extend the unbeaten run into the Six NationsWhen hearing Eddie Jones explain that England’s ability to win matches in the last 20 minutes was down to the training method of “tactical periodisation” it was hard not to be reminded of Clive Woodward’s T-Cup (Thinking Correctly Under Pressure) mantra, not least because of how Jones measures the method’s success. “We have parameters for how quickly they get off the ground,” he said. “I think some of the blokes used to have a cup of tea and a scone with jam and cream before they got off the ground. It was terrible.” Related: James Haskell: being...
England have harnessed the power of their squad as they close on the All Blacks record and it may come down to Scotland to halt their grand slam chargeEddie Jones will soon have a bigger record collection than the late John Peel. If England beat Italy at Twickenham next Sunday, and it is all but a case of when, it would be their 10th consecutive Six Nations victory and would equal the longest winning run in the tournament’s 134-year history.The Tasmanian has added devil to England since taking over as head coach 14 months ago but the transformation from World Cup laughing stock to a side that are two home wins away from equalling New Zealand’s record of 18 successive...
Under Eddie Jones England have scored a remarkable 83 more points than their opponents in the last 20 minutes thanks in no small part to their talents on the benchIf it sounds contradictory when Eddie Jones says England have no world-class players but the best replacements bench in the world, the first two weekends of the Six Nations would appear to support such a claim. England were behind with 10 minutes remaining against France and Wales but on both occasions Jones’s “finishers” ensured the record-breaking winning streak continued.Measuring the impact of these finishers however is not an exact science. The ledger records Ben Te’o’s try against France but not the added oomph James Haskell brought to the back row against...
After his side snatch a 21-16 win over Wales, England’s coach admits adopting Spanish practices used by Portuguese manager in bid to catch up All BlacksThis year’s Six Nations has yet to reach the halfway mark but already the old tournament has a renewed sense of verve. When a game matches the occasion in Cardiff there is no finer place in the world to watch rugby union, even if the lurching late twist in England’s favour made it a bittersweet Welsh symphony.Carry on like this and rugby will migrate from the back pages to the front as it did a decade and a half ago, scooping up numerous agnostics en route. Great sport played out before a glorious backdrop still has...