Coaches have playing the media for years, but rugby is big enough now that it doesn’t need a few brickbats to sell itRespect works both ways. Regardless of whether an empty lager container was hurled at Eddie Jones at Murrayfield as the team walked into the ground, will the Six Nations have the bottle to not just remind coaches and players to choose their words carefully but take action when they don’t?World Rugby’s core values of “integrity, respect, solidarity, passion and discipline” looked forlorn at the end of last week, as if taken up by Storm Ciara and scattered over various parts of Europe. To hear words like war, hate and niggly being uttered was to be reminded of George...
Youth will be added for the Six Nations to a core group distracted by impending relegation at their clubEddie Jones names his England squad for the Six Nations on Monday and at least he does not have to fret about some of his Saracens contingent being torn between playing for their country and helping their club avoid relegation. It was a concern of his when the club’s 35-point deduction for breaching the Premiership’s salary cap regulations was activated two months ago but he now faces something equally unsettling. Related: Saracens to accept second 35-point deduction and effective relegation Related: Latest twist in Saracens salary cap scandal threatens a descent into pure farce | Robert Kitson Continue reading...
Eddie Jones’s team have the ability to break down South Africa’s traditional power game and win a tight contestI think England will beat South Africa in the World Cup final. I feel it not because of hard statistics, nor because emotions are getting the better of me. Here’s my reasoning.In attack, South Africa have moved back to their more traditional power game and it has given them certainty on the field. The Springboks under their excellent coach, Rassie Erasmus, are all on the same page. Related: England’s Rugby World Cup finals: the inside story on 1991, 2003 and 2007 Related: The Breakdown | Defence will be Springboks’ strength against England in World Cup final Continue reading...
England’s coach has gone back to what he feels has worked and we have discovered the new trend is actually the old trend – the one established by the World Cup winners 12 years agoI look at this England side and I see so many similarities with the South Africa team who won the World Cup in 2007. It seems like things have come full circle for Eddie Jones because he was a World Cup winner with the Springboks 12 years ago and his England side are following the same blueprint as they look to defeat South Africa on Saturday.A quick look at the statistics back it up. When South Africa beat England 36-0 in the pool stages in 2007,...
England’s head coach animates his art of distraction with comic jibes to blur fantasy and reality – and boost his team’s self-beliefIn Disneyland, where England are staying for this semi‑final week, they specialise in blurring the lines between fantasy and reality. Perhaps that is why Eddie Jones has based his squad in a hotel full of people dressed up as Mickey Mouse wannabes. If you are looking to dream big, this is not a bad place to start. Related: England’s training session spied on from a nearby apartment, says Eddie Jones Related: Hansen and Jones show respect – and confidence they can overcome | Gerard Meagher Continue reading...