New recruit looked comfortable in his third international and may turn out to be the perfect foil for Owen FarrellFor a few precious seconds before the start it felt as if Marcus Smith had Twickenham all to himself. Alone on the halfway line, with England lined up behind him, Australia spread out in front, he bounced the ball up and down while the referee paced around and counted down the last few seconds before kick-off.Smith looked pretty sure of himself down there under the bright lights, the hardest 80 minutes he has ever played stretching out ahead of him. If he had noticed the 82,000 fans gathered around, hanging on his next step, one would never have guessed it from...
The coach has named a strong, pacy side to take on his native country but can he get Owen Farrell and Marcus Smith to gel?If there is one nation Eddie Jones hugely enjoys pitting his wits against it is his native Australia. There are good reasons why England have beaten the Wallabies seven times in succession since 2016 and high on the list is Jones’s instinctive grasp, both psychologically and selectorially, of which specific buttons to push.Not only does he understand exactly how the Aussies feel when they catch a glimpse of a white shirt but he also knows what they hate most about playing the Poms. Hence the announcement of an England side with Marcus Smith at No 10,...
Marcus Smith and George Furbank shine after captain Owen Farrell has to pull out following positive Covid testIt is not often that England have played without Owen Farrell under Eddie Jones so perhaps the greatest significance of this overwhelming victory against Tonga is that maybe they have finally proved they can cope without him. Certainly, if Farrell’s absence was the talk of Twickenham beforehand, Marcus Smith’s eye-catching cameo ensured his was the name on supporters’ lips on the journey home.Farrell was, of course, ruled out here due to his positive Covid-19 test but there have been only three occasions in Jones’s previous 66 matches in charge when England’s captain was available for selection but overlooked from the squad. Continue reading...
Growing up feeling like an odd man out in the suburbs of Sydney has shaped the career path of England’s head coachEddie Jones has always felt like an outsider, and still does. “An Australian coaching in England rugby,” the England rugby head coach tells me in the latest episode of Life Lessons: From Sport and Beyond. “In Japan, half-Japanese – you’re an outsider.” Born in Tasmania to a Japanese-American mother and Australian father, as a boy he lived in La Perouse, a south-eastern Sydney suburb. There were around 30 children in his school class. “Twenty-six Anglo-Saxons, three aboriginal kids and myself.”Jones’s mother would make him take presents whenever he visited someone else’s house, a Japanese custom he found uncomfortable. “Other...
The England head coach is not afraid to make tough decisions but his latest squad raises more questions than answersNever let it be said Eddie Jones does not have the courage of his convictions. Sidestepping the prevailing wisdom has never bothered him and neither does he mind making tough decisions. It is not compulsory for England head coaches to toe the party line nor are they judged, in Jones’s experience, by how many affectionate cards sit on their mantelpieces at Christmas.But, strewth, he can be brutal. As Billy Vunipola, Mako Vunipola, Jamie George, Ben Earl, Alex Lozowski, George Ford, Danny Care, Dan Robson, Ollie Lawrence, Ted Hill and any number of others can testify, he gives people the benefit of...