We just weren’t good enough and they were just too good, says Jones
AS THE Ireland squad made their victory lap around Twickenham, the inquest into England’s alarming slide was already beginning.
Eddie Jones, who guided them to back-to-back titles when he succeeded Stuart Lancaster after that ill-fated World Cup on home soil, has now seen his side slump to their third successive Six Nations defeat.
Not since the dark days of 2006 have England suffered such a disappointment. They had won 14 games in succession in front of their own fans before Joe Schmidt’s men rolled into town yesterday afternoon.
‘We’re disappointed but we’re pleased for Ireland, they played exceptionally well,’ said England’s head coach following his side’s 2415 defeat.
‘I thought our effort was outstanding. Our team played with plenty of character and stuck at it. We just weren’t good enough. They were just too good.
‘We gave them too many penalties that were avoidable which has been a trait for us during the Six Nations and we allowed them to skip ahead too far at half-time. Then we were chasing our tail for the rest of the game.’
‘This is part of the process of becoming a better team. We are moving forward, even if results do not show that. A run like this tests your resolve, your purpose and your team. That is what we are going through at the moment.’
Ireland came firing out of the blocks and took an early lead thanks to Garry Ringrose’s try after Anthony Watson had made a mess of Johnny Sexton’s aerial bomb.
There were question marks whether Rob Kearney had knocked the ball on contesting that high kick, but luck was very much on Ireland’s side.
And the visitors were in dreamland soon after as CJ Stander steamrolled his way over thanks to a superbly-worked power play straight out of the Schmidt play book.
Ireland even survived Peter O’Mahony’s sin-binning relatively unscathed before Jacob Stockdale crossed for his record-breaking try.
A brace from Elliot Daly, arguably England’s strongest performer, and a late effort from Jonny May put some gloss on the final scoreline, but the day belonged to Ireland.
It was yet another sobering outing for Jones who once again saw his side fall foul of the referee. A grand total of 12 penalties once again illustrating England’s indiscipline.
‘It was a tight old game,’ Jones reflected. ‘I think our indiscipline allowed Ireland some points that allowed them to skip away. I thought the Ireland lineout and maul was very good, they probably shaded us in that area.
‘In the scrum, I felt we had some sort of advantage until the referee decided otherwise. The rest of the game was fairly even.’
Ireland, who consolidated their position just behind first-placed New Zealand in the world rankings, are looking to the World Cup next year with renewed optimism and hope.
And they have very much confirmed their status as the new northern hemisphere heavyweights. Schmidt’s squad will face further examinations down the road with a three-Test tour in Australia in June as well as a meeting with the All Blacks next autumn.
And Jones, who has now suffered back-to-back defeats against Schmidt, has backed Ireland to push onto greater things.
‘(They are) a good tough side,’ he added. ‘Well coached. Good leadership from the players. They play to their strengths. Good resolve. They’re an excellent team.’
Jones, on the other hand, has some long nights ahead as he looks to arrest what has become an alarming slump in his side’s form.
A three-Test tour of South Africa this summer looms large before New Zealand arrive in London in November.
‘You have these runs,’ said Jones. ‘Sometimes you get out of them quick and sometimes they take a bit longer. At the moment, we’re in a position where it’s gone three games. It’s not nice but it’s part of the process of being a better team. We’ve learned a lot about ourselves in this tournament.
‘We’ve learned a lot about the team. We’ve learned a lot about needing to develop our game, which is important. So, as disappointing as it is. It’s part of the process of being a better team.
To add insult to injury, England finish their campaign in fifth place; their worst finish in the championship since 1983.
The fickle nature of sport was exemplified when Jones, who led England to 24 victories in his first 25 games, was booed by the Twickenham faithful when he was giving his post-match interview to the TV cameras on the pitch.
‘I didn’t hear it, mate,’ said Jones, with a wry grin. ‘I can’t control things like that. I can’t control what the crowd says. All I can control is how I coach the team and I do that to the best of my ability.’