The Breakdown | Eddie Jones tackles his coaching scars with brutal England revamp

The England head coach is not afraid to make tough decisions but his latest squad raises more questions than answers

Never 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 the doubt as often as a starving rattlesnake. Once you cease to be flavour of the month or Jones senses the vaguest hint of complacency, banishment to the dusty outback of selectorial oblivion can be horribly swift.