Bang out of order
Jones talk of an explosion for England blows up in his face
WHEN Eddie Jones planned for an ‘explosion’ at Twickenham he did not mean for it to leave England’s World Cup momentum in pieces. The big bang was supposed to blow away Scotland and underline just how dangerous his team will be in Japan this autumn. All the talk that England would show how close they are to being the best in the business was meant to impress far beyond the bookies, who somehow still have them second favourites ahead ofWales. if Instead, the fuse was lit on one of the great capitulations in top-level sport as England coughed up the biggest lead in Test history to a side who have only ever won two away Six Nations matches aolul tside of Italy.
“It’s like we have some hand grenades in the back of a jeep and sometimes they go off when there’s a lot of pressure,” said Jones, switching explosive analogies. “We have a few of them and we’ve got to get rid of them.” Jones was referring to how his players manage themselves under pressure and claimed they had struggled with the mental side since the last World Cup.
But Ben Youngs was not having that after England went from “ruthless to toothless” like never before.
The Leicester star was as despondent as anyone that the game in which he became England’s mostcapped scrum-half should become a source of embarrassment.
“Too loose, too flippant with the ball,” was his verdict after Scotland scored six unanswered tries to overturn a 31-0 deficit. But he rejected Jones’ assertion that some players do not handle pressure when the momentum changes.
In the past nine months England have also lost to South Africa, twice, New Zealand and Wales after taking leads of 24-3, 12-0, 15-0 and 10-3 respectively.
But Youngs said:
“I don’t think it is pressure, I just think we need a better understanding of where the momentum of the game is and what we want at that moment.
“We went from being in complete control to being completely out of control. We have got to figure out why and how we stop gifting teams momentum.”
Sam Johnson, whose try put Scotland seven points ahead with three minutes remaining, felt England “sort of panicked” as they failed to win for the fifth time in eight Six Nations starts.
Worryingly, this was their final competitive outing before the World Cup. Of even greater concern, captain Owen Farrell was subbed off early.
“We needed someone to change the momentum of the game,” said Jones, whose replacement George Ford duly forced the draw with a last-gasp converted try. “Owen will be disappointed with his game but as with any young captain it takes time.”
There is precious little of that left. Jones says it took New Zealand eight years to learn how to close out games.
England have six months. ENGLAND – Tries: Nowell, Curry, Launchbury, May, Ford.
Cons: Farrell (4), Ford. Pen: Farrell.
SCOTLAND – Tries: McInally, Graham (2), Bradbury, Russell, Johnson. Cons: Russell (2), Laidlaw (2).