Jones sees life in ‘pool of death’
Eddie Jones has dismissed all notions of being daunted by yet another Rugby World Cup ‘pool of death’ and instead insisted that he relished the fact that England had again been drawn in the toughest of all groups.
Where others might have been crestfallen by the prospect of facing France and Argentina, along, perhaps, with the United States and Samoa, raising the possibility that England could exit at the pool stages for the second time in succession, Jones was adamant that the experience would be to their benefit as they seek to win the World Cup for the second time. It was a view that was wholly against the grain.
‘‘You’ve got to be bullet-proof by the time you get to the tournament, good enough to win those games or you can’t expect to win a World Cup,’’ said Jones. ‘‘We’ve got to be able to be good enough to cope with the draw.
‘‘I think it is good for us and it will keep us on our toes. It’s where New Zealand have suffered previously. They had very easy pool games and, if you have easy games in the pools, it doesn’t set you up for the quarterfinals.
‘‘No-one wants to get ahead of themselves but you need to be right for the knockout stages. In a World Cup, generally the most crucial game is the quarterfinal because you are usually playing a team you should beat. And you’ve got to be at your best for that game.
‘‘How do you expect to win a World Cup if you can’t beat Wales in the quarterfinal, even though they are a good team?
‘‘We’ve got to find ways to become bullet-proof and we’ve got two years to do it. I don’t want to be bullet-proof now. Even James Bond is not bullet-proof for the whole movie. There are times when he is susceptible. You need to peak at the right time.
‘‘The defeat in Dublin showed that we’re not bullet-proof. The more games you go through undefeated [England won 18 in succession] you do get that perception of being bullet-proof. The thing I’ve always struggled with in English rugby is complacency. If there is any way our team can be complacent now, then we have got the wrong people.’’
It was a passionate advocacy of where he believes England ought to be when they arrive at the 2019 World Cup: fearful of no-one, ready to take on all-comers.
Jones believes that England are on their way to his oft-stated aspiration of being credible contenders and winning the World Cup. In that regard, he is right not to be daunted by facing what he calls ‘‘the most improved side in world rugby’’ in France, and a Pumas side which has been remarkably productive at World Cups, reaching the semifinals twice.
Telegraph Group