RUGBY’S UNITED NATIONS
England coach Jones hatches plot to train with the Welsh
ENGLAND and Wales are to form a historic alliance next month when the cross-border rivals train together during the build-up to their opening autumn Tests.
Sportsmail has learned that English and Welsh forwards will lock horns in a joint session — an innovative arrangement understood to have been instigated by Eddie Jones.
The England head coach wants to take his players out of their comfort zone in the two years leading up to the next World Cup, and this appears to be an early step in that process.
The collaboration will take place prior to England’s encounter with Argentina at Twickenham and Wales’s showdown with Australia in Cardiff. For now, there is no suggestion that it will be the first of many such sessions between the nations — usually such fierce enemies in rugby terms.
However, Jones’s desire to expose his men to ‘chaos’ in order to keep them on their toes may yet result in joint training with other countries.
Sources have indicated that talks have also taken place about the option of England and Scotland training together too.
The latest word is that the Anglo- Scottish venture is unlikely to go ahead during the forthcoming Te s t window, but the plan may not be off the table entirely.
England are also thought to be planning a training head-to-head with Georgia as part of their preparations for the Six Nations early next year. For now, that proposal — with all of its obvious logistical challenges — has not yet been confirmed, but the will is there to make it happen. The level of paranoia within rugby about codes and plays and practice drills being worked out by opponents is such that shared training sessions are all but unheard of at international level. Former England coach and Sportsmail columnist Sir Clive Woodward had a similar idea before the 2003 World Cup but his proposal for a joint training session with France was rejected by coach Bernard Laporte. If nations have been hesitant, clubs have been branching out in this way. Bath worked with the Newport-based Dragons in pre- season, while Harlequins and London Irish trained together last month. Meanwhile, the governing body of European rugby confirmed yesterday that Joe Marler’s three-week ban for foul play will now expire on November 12, rather than on November 19 as per the original ruling. That amendment follows an appeal by Harlequins about the terms of his suspension, which assumed no involvement in an AngloWelsh Cup match against Saracens on November 4. Marler is now free to play for England against Australia on November 18, if Jones decides to recall him.