Clock is ticking, Jones warns England hopefuls

– There are 827 days before the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan, but England coach Eddie Jones says time is running out for fringe players seeking seats on the Tokyo flight.

The Australian has been drilling into his squad this week the importance of the second and final Test against Argentina today in this northeastern city.

A late try from Denny Solomona gave the visitors a 38-34 first

Santa Fe

Test triumph in one of the most exciting internationals this year.

Now Jones wants to complete a 2-0 series whitewash, and hopes some of his squad raise their hands as World Cup candidates.

He plans to name a 45-strong elite player squad this August.

“It will certainly be more geared toward the World Cup than previous squads,” he said.

England flew to South America minus 30 of their top players, primarily because 16 had been called up for British and Irish Lions tour duty in New Zealand.

That opened the door for fringe players to impress Jones, who was also a key adviser to coach Jake White when South Africa won the 2007 World Cup in France.

While teenage flanker Tom Curry received rave media reviews for his first Test performance in San Juan, Jones also singled out fellow loose forward Mark Wilson.

“He has been a real revelation,” said Jones.

Wilson is on the bench and Curry takes a break this weekend with former skipper Chris Robshaw and debutant Sam Underhill joining retained No 8 Nathan Hughes in the back row.

The other change is at inside centre with Piers Francis taking over from Alex Lozowski, who is among the replacements. – AFP