Eddie Jones’s side managed to hold on for the win against Wales without the powerful centre but whether they can continue to do so in the Six Nations and beyond is uncertainNot for the first time this Six Nations, Eddie Jones was left lamenting a lack of ruthlessness from his side following a nail-biting victory against Wales. It is a word he has used often of late – clinical being another – but so far England have not been able to display enough of a cutting edge in attack to suggest they will finish top of the pile. They remain in the hunt for the title after keeping Wales’s second‑half fightback at bay but it seems clear that improvements must...
Eddie Jones’s side are a perpetual work in progress but remain in title contention with two games left – at least on paperIt used to be painting the Forth Bridge which was considered the ultimate in never-ending jobs. These days it is the England rugby team, a work in progress for so long that people have almost forgotten what the original timescale was meant to be. There are some weekends, and this was another of them, when it also feels as if Tracey Emin’s unmade bed might be the secret artistic inspiration for Eddie Jones’s still-ongoing project.Nothing is ever finished with Jones, regardless of the evidence available. “It’s got no ceiling,” he insisted on Saturday night on the subject of...
Thoughts may have been elsewhere but after a slow start Eddie Jones’s men produced something to remember to see off WalesThere is no official smoking area at Twickenham. The organisers are very clear on this point. Smoking and vaping is strictly prohibited in all areas of the ground, enforced by hundreds of stern-looking signs with a handy reminder on the back of your ticket. Unofficially, of course, everyone knows that the smokers congregate near Gates D and F by the green perimeter fence, and no lackey in an orange bib is going to offer a word of demurral. And so it is that at half-time in this taut, gripping game the corners of the ground are thick with the fug...
The England scrum-half came on for his 115th cap against Wales at Twickenham and with the emergence of Harry Randall it may be a role he has to get used toIn the end, Ben Youngs’s big moment got a little lost in all the excitement. The match was an hour old, and just beginning to slip from England’s grip, when he finally came on for his 115th cap and beat the record set by Jason Leonard back in 2004.England had been 17-0 up not so very long ago, but Wales, who, for all their flaws, absolutely did not stop coming, had scored two tries, and 12 points, in the last seven minutes. Twickenham was rocking, and England were reeling. The...
England’s new No 10 displayed attacking flair and confidence over Italy to show head coach why he must be given total trustNot the knockout blow Eddie Jones was seeking when urging his side to channel Muhammad Ali but mercifully it is always a safe bet Marcus Smith will float like a butterfly when afforded this much time and space. Italy’s 34th consecutive Six Nations defeat will not live long in the memory but this could yet prove to be a seminal moment in Smith’s England career.The 22-year-old is destined for a long and prosperous run in the No 10 jersey and already you sense England’s World Cup hopes next year will largely hinge on Smith’s form. His performance here is...