Eddie can win from lost cause
the case for England. They are the scalp the rest want above all others. If England drop off even a fraction, a noisy neighbour is waiting around the corner to teach them a lesson, as the magnificent Scots did in whacking a dirty great bagpipe into the spokes of the Chariot at Murrayfield. Defeat is a painful place but it can also be the one that delivers the greatest clarity. When side a is winning, the temptation is to leave well alone even if, as in England’s case, the pace of progress has been visibly slowing. In that sense the Scots may have done England a favour.
Jones could name the same England team and they would beat a stodgy France in Paris in a fortnight, but if he is serious in his stated ambition of usurping New Zealand at the top of the world his thought process should be revolving around shaping a team capable of beating the All Blacks. The England coach is not about to throw the baby out with the bathwater after only the second defeat on his watch, but it should be obvious to him there are team areas which need recalibrating.
The most pressing is the back row which, in order to accommodate the secondrow talent available, has become unbalanced.
Jones took Sam Underhill and Tom Curry to Argentina last summer to develop a genuine Test No7 – it is now time to press on with that project. With Elliot Daly due back from injury for Wasps on Sunday, it is also high time Anthony Watson was given his head at full-back where he plays for his club.
Jones was vociferous in his backing for Mike Brown after the Wales win a fortnight ago but the footballing limitations of the Harlequins full-back were exposed by Scotland.
Ireland are the one side that could yet complete a clean sweep this time but I would not put the piggy bank on it. The Irish have managed just two since 1883.
The Slam itself is an irregular achievement. Since the war, there have been only 28 of them. While Ireland can be expected to beat Scotland at home next, given the likelihood Gregor Townsend’s side will suffer a post-Calcutta Cup emotional slump, England away is a sizable final hurdle.
Whether or not England are playing for the title, and the bonus-point situation is not favourable after the blank drawn in Edinburgh, they will not lack for their own motivation.
Twickenham is a difficult place to come at the best of times – England have not lost a Six Nations game there for six years – but it will be fresh in the minds how Ireland spoiled their Grand Slam party in Dublin last season.
Ancient rivalries, recent scores to settle. The beauty – and the difficulty – of the Six Nations in a nutshell.