Jones to risk his England rookies
One Kiwi out, another in as coach admits it may still kick off in camp but trusts players to behave like adults
Eddie Jones admits he has had to take risks in opting for an inexperienced 31-man squad for the World Cup in Japan, omitting Kiwi-born Lions centre Ben Te’o after a training camp altercation with Mike Brown and warning there could be more problems ahead.
The England head coach revealed that it was the most “stressful and painful” part of the job to inform players they had been left out and the calls were made to those individuals after a two-hour management meeting during which Jones was persuaded to change his mind on one player by the four other coaches.
Only two halfbacks have been named, which Jones conceded was a gamble.
Jones refused to give specific detail as to the reason for the omission of Te’o but there is little doubt that the emphasis on discipline is crucial ahead of a World Cup.
“We’ve had that conversation with Ben and he understands it,” said Jones. “Whether he agrees with it is another matter.”
Jones did not rule out Te’o getting a call if there was a spate of injuries. The Australian coach is approaching his fourth World Cup campaign and knows there will be bumps in the road ahead.
“I’ve never been confident in a team being smooth,” said Jones. “We’re like any family — everyone sits around the dining table but you know there are problems and we’re the same. We’ve got 31 having nice conversations [but] you know potentially there’s a problem.
“All I can do is trust the players. They are adults, they want to play for England and we could have some problems. If we do, we’ll deal with them. Every team has problems.”
Owen Farrell will lead the team and acknowledges the squad will have to set their own standards.
“We want to police ourselves as much as we can,” he said.
Jones had initially set his sights on having a battle-hardened group heading to Japan but has picked a squad with 1007 caps, an average of 16 per man fewer than the All Blacks side who won in 2015.
The need to have in-form, zestful, hungry players has become an imperative, hence the inclusion of rookies such as Bath wing Ruaridh McConnochie and Northampton flanker Lewis Ludlam, who has “come from absolutely nowhere”, in the words of Jones, who conceded that
he had to change his view two years ago when he realised that the legs of his experienced core of players “were about to fall off”.
“I’m convinced it’s our best 31,” said Jones. “I could have picked more experienced players but I just don’t feel they’ll give us what the younger guys will give us.
“There are risks involved in it, risks in every position. It’s a stressful, painful period. As a coach, it’s probably one of my least favourite times.
Telling players they haven’t made the World Cup is not nice.
“Some players are in a state of shock, some players handle it and then go away and get angry, some players go away and kick their dog straight away.”
Those who did make the cut were further uplifted by video messages from all those who had supported them through their upbringing at their junior clubs.
Among them is 32-year-old Gloucester halfback Willi Heinz, the former Crusaders and Canterbury No 9 who won his first cap on Monday against Wales and is the only specialist back-up to Ben Youngs.
First-five George Ford, who played halfback in league, will step up in an emergency.
The same belt-and-braces situation applies to tighthead prop, where Harlequins’ Joe Marler will move across if there are any issues affecting Kyle Sinckler or Dan Cole.
Jones will make changes to this squad only in the event of injury, even though he does not have to formally declare it to Rugby World Cup until September 8. The head coach decided to name his squad far earlier than any other country after lengthy consultation with players and coaches from England’s last two failed World Cup campaigns.
“The common theme was that selection was a massive distraction for England [before those tournaments] so we decided we would allow the players to get on,” said Jones, who has added three players for this weekend’s return game against Wales — flanker Matt Kvesic, lock Charlie Ewels and centre Joe Marchant.
Exeter wing Jack Nowell, recovering from ankle and knee problems sustained in the Premiership final in June, has had a “little setback” and may now not feature in warm-up games before departure.
The shoulder injury incurred by Tom Curry will sideline him for “a small amount of weeks”, while centre Henry Slade will be out for another two to three weeks. Jones has put his faith in their recovery and in the ability of the 31 to deliver.