Eddie’s steady on big guns

EDDIE JONES says he will not be pressured into picking Owen Farrell and Maro Itoje against Australia this Saturday despite the sub-standard show in their absence against Argentina.

Farrell, below, was the water boy and Itoje watched from the stands as England struggled past the Pumas at Twickenham on Saturday in a flat start to the autumn Tests. Jones’s side need a significant uplift if they are to see off the Wallabies but the England coach says short-term temptations will not override the long-term priorities.

“We’ve planned a three-game selection,” said Jones. “We’re trying to win the World Cup in 2019, so everything we do now is about trying to win the World Cup.

“The way we manage the players is with that in mind – for them to be at their best by November 2, 2019.

“Some players need to get more work at other things. At this stage, that’s the case with those two [Itoje and Farrell] and we’ll