EDDIE’S GOT TO PUT UP OR SHUT UP
There can be no second chances with England, they are only side in Six Nations going backwards
England are in a deep hole of their own making and frankly it’s Eddie Jones who has been doing all the digging. as a former England player and head coach it is not remotely enjoyable or easy to criticise.
I know only too well how painful defeat is, how desperate the team are to succeed and how unjust criticism can feel.
But criticise we must. This is now very serious, with nowhere near enough scrutiny from the RFU concerning an England team that has become a cosy club. England must acknowledge and halt the decline right now.
To hear Jones insist on Saturday night that England had improved since the opening-game defeat by Scotland was nonsensical.
They were awful against the Scots, awful against Ireland and not much better against Wales. and the failings were exactly the same. This team are going nowhere playing like this and any talk of progress is delusional.
let’s spell this out. If you disregard Italy, England are the only Six nations side going backwards.
all the signs of their decline were there throughout 2020, when Jones refused to reboot the tired England game plan and have a look at some of the alternative talent.
I genuinely believe the Premiership is the strongest league in the world. But what’s the point of ignoring the claims of the English players — many of them young who regularly excel in it.
Jones is not handling the pressure well. Back in the autumn, when it was becoming a chore to watch England, he ranted about the media’s ‘lack of respect’ when they offered what I felt was constructive criticism.
But because England were scraping wins in a competition that didn’t matter against teams who were experimenting or in transition, he pointed to the ‘wins’ column — which the RFU suits were happy to accept without question.
I was astonished last week to read this utter nonsense about the media planting rat poison in the players’ minds! I cannot fathom how he sees that as a constructive or acceptable comment.
From what I’ve read and heard the media comments have been universally objective and fair.
Copping constructive feedback comes with the job. Occasionally I would pick up the phone and talk differences out with a journalist, and there were some lively conversations, but the media are not bloodthirsty trolls poisoning players’ minds.
The press box is filled with former players and commentators who have devoted their lives to the game. It is ignorant to believe their opinion is not valid. On other occasions I would adopt the statesmanlike approach, which the players seemed to do last week. Ben Youngs and especially Jonny May spoke well about how disappointed they had been with the team’s performances, particularly the Scotland game. But how they found themselves against France was definitely the template going forward.
and then what happened on the eve of this important away game against Ireland, when England needed to show they could back up after France? Jones torpedoed their confidence, the team’s momentum and created a huge distraction with all this talk of rat poison. does he not trust players to think for themselves and make their own judgments?
The result, predictably, was a team who reverted to their bad habits — bad kicking, bad discipline and failing to bring wingers anthony Watson and Jonny May into the game.
Of course it was going to be a slightly different, feistier game, but the same excellent basics and tempo from the French win needed to be implemented. alas, all the good from Twickenham seven days earlier went down the plughole.
as a former Test player, former national coach and fan I am invested emotionally in English rugby but I find some of the stuff Eddie says astonishing.
The comments about the media but also that twaddle about not developing an attacking game until near the World Cup, or how it is impossible to play attacking, ball-in-hand rugby under the new laws — to mention just a few.
That kind of thinking is what I call careerist. Building a worldbeating team takes time, you’ll make mistakes and suffer losses.
But high-performing teams play as though every game could be their last, from the coach down. They do not suggest that we will do it in two years’ time, or that the laws aren’t fair.
Every time England take to the field is an occasion to cherish, an opportunity to inspire the nation. now more than ever.
I don’t detect any fire and fury over this within the RFU. In my days I’d have to explain myself to the likes of Francis Baron at executive level, Fran Cotton on the pure rugby side of things and rugby diehards on the board such as John Jeavons-Fellows, Peter Trunkfield and Cliff Brittle. That trio, I promise you, will be turning in their graves.
Senior players such as Martin Johnson, lawrence dallaglio and
Jason leonard also chimed in and I had a brilliant coaching staff, full of independent thinkers who, although ultra-loyal, were not yes men. I did not lack for internal feedback and that’s how it needs to be. It’s a massive strength, not a weakness.
There is something missing with this team culturally. England forwards coach Matt Proudfoot described the excellent Tom Curry as the next Richie McCaw. The next neil Back would be more appropriate.
Eddie has nobody standing up to him and asking what the hell is going on. as RFU CEO, Bill Sweeney needs to take this on board but he is in no position to question Eddie on rugby matters.
There is nobody at the RFU holding him to account at any level. In rugby terms he is absolute in his powers with England which is never healthy and positively dangerous when he is getting things so wrong.
The lions could not come at a better time for Eddie and England. Those England players who ‘tour’ will return with new ideas and rugby experience and those who don’t will hopefully go on a squad tour to north america.
It will buy Eddie some time but come the autumn the message will be clear. no more second chances. Put up or shut up.