Daly’s finish hides f laws

ENGLAND’S 2017 ended with seven tries and a record win against Samoa to crown a highly satisfactory year, but the home dressing room was a sober spot afterwards.

Nine wins out of 10 Tests in the calendar year and a second successive Six Nations title represented a job well done, yet there remained an underlying sense of dissatisfaction.

In an environment where daily improvement is a relentless – and mind-numbing – mantra, England players felt they had fallen short. There were flashes of superb rugby against the Pacific Islanders and, as against Australia, a bravado finish. But there were frustrations too, particularly at the breakdown which, well, broke down.

It is a reflection of the standards England now set that when the book comes to be written of Eddie Jones’ four years as England coach, autumn 2017 – a clean sweep – will still not demand too many chapters.

“We only really played to our potential fully in one game, against Australia last week,” said wing Elliot Daly. “Against Argentina we were a the centre partnership of Alex Lozowski and Henry Slade. “When you’re playing off slow ball it’s difficult,” he said. “But both of those guys are worth persevering with.”

Anthony Watson provided a viable alternative to Mike Brown at full-back – although the old gunslinger was back with a try on Saturday – and Jamie George, as a Test Lion, did what everyone knew he would do as a mobile starting hooker against Samoa.

But the No7 position where Jones had hoped to make strides remains up for grabs. Injuries to Tom Curry and Sam Underhill did not allow either to show their full hand, so it was left to Robshaw to change Jones’ preconceptions of him. “Robbo showed enough to be a third option at No7,” he said.

An enthralling Six Nations awaits and a shot at what Jones is billing as an historic “threepeat” for an England side who want it all. “I would anticipate this Six Nations is going to be harder than any we’ve played in,” added Jones.

“The only reason I came to England was because I got offered the chance to coach a team I thought could be bloody good. We are good, not bloody good, at the moment but that’s what we are going to

become.”