Eddie hits out at ‘rats’ nibbling at his stars
Daly’s back but Eddie says critics filled his head with ‘rat poison’
EDDIE JONES restored Elliot Daly to his preferred midfield position yesterday and then let rip at critics for filling his players’ heads with ‘rat poison’ during their recent slump in form.
England’s head coach selected the 28-year- old Lion at outside centre with Henry Slade not fit to face Ireland in Dublin tomorrow.
The Six Nations finale gives Daly his first outing in the England No 13 shirt since his first start for his country in November 2016.
All but two of his last 33 Test caps have been won at full back and Jones has continued to deploy him there despite a series of unconvincing performances.
These had led to sustained calls for this precious asset to be moved to centre, where he has been more effective in the past. Daly was left out of the starting XV for last Saturday’s epic win over France but he did enough when brought off the bench to suggest that his self-belief is returning.
Yet when Jones was asked if Daly had lost confidence, he launched into a tirade, saying: ‘I’ve never seen confidence walk through the door, so I don’t know what confidence is. We are always just trying to get them to think right.
‘I don’t think there is any such thing as confidence. You either think rightly or you think wrongly, and you start to listen to the poison that’s written in the media.
‘ That rat poison gets into players’ heads. We try to keep it out of their head. We try to spray all that rat poison and get it out of their head. We are always working hard to keep it out of their heads. It keeps me busy.’
When pressed to explain whether or not he had played a part in helping Daly to emerge from his rut, Jones added: ‘Some players need to do it by themselves, some need a nudge in the right direction. It’s completely individual.
‘We just work out with each player what they need, and some players don’t need much.
‘Elliot is an experienced player, he’s got 50 caps, he can work it out for himself and he has. We’re really pleased that he is coming back to his best form and we know at his best he is a world- class player. We are anticipating that on Saturday.’
Although Jones has become aggravated by the negative response to Daly’s England performances of late, he had already conceded that the versatile Saracen has been off-colour.
‘Elliot’s had to dig down deep into himself and find the best of himself,’ he said.
‘It’s been a tough Six Nations for him. His form wasn’t very good at the start of the tournament. We had a number of players like that — he wasn’t the only one.’
This is another case of Jones facing down critics but ultimately agreeing with the criticism.
During this Six Nations campaign, he has bemoaned some unflattering reviews relating to England captain Owen Farrell, while acknowledging that he was not playing well early on.
He was equally incensed by negative assessments of Maro Itoje’s indiscipline — especially in the defeat by Wales in Cardiff — but both the player and the head coach admitted it was a damaging issue. Billy Vunipola was another who found himself under a harsh glare of scrutiny, but the No 8 had the honesty and maturity to accept his shortcomings in the opening games of this Six Nations, describing his efforts as ‘rubbish’.
And several players have publicly accepted that collective displays were not up to scratch in the losses to Scotland and Wales — the former in particular.
So Jones has manned the barricades in protest against fair comment, while members of his squad have carried out their own detox process, without apparently
succumbing to rat poison or a sense of denial.
Meanwhile, the outraged man in charge explained why he has picked Daly at 13 again.
‘His work rate off the ball, his ability to get back on kick returns and his ability to kick- chase is going to be really important,’ said Jones.
‘He’s got a great engine on him, Elliot, he’s strong defensively, and we know that he’s a penetrative runner.
‘If we get some quick ball, he’ll trouble them on the outside. We prefer him to play at 15, but now he’s got a great opportunity in his preferred position.’
Daly has made no secret of the fact that he is happiest at outside centre and Farrell added: ‘I know how much Elliot will be looking forward to playing 13. He will be looking to show what he can do from that position.’
The only change to England’s starting XV prompted speculation that it might lead to a long-term shift into midfield for Daly at international level but when asked if that is a possibility, Jones said: ‘That has got nothing to do with this game.’