Jones needs to win, but his selections are strange
This a crucial tour for England but the coach has produced more questions than answers
Ideally, Eddie Jones, would like to be leaving for South Africa with a squad who are strong enough to do two things: rest a number of leading players and nick a series win. Whilst he has managed to partially achieve the former, it is doubtful – but crucial – that he gets the latter.
This was always going to be a tricky trip. South Africa have a new management structure and are trying to get to grips with the unique challenges of a quota system and eligibility of players who play abroad. The signs are that they will be different from the recent Springboks, who have been a poor imitation of former teams; however they line up, they will be physically powerful.
This is made worse by the tour’s proximity to the World Cup and the fact that it comes after a very poor Six Nations tournament.
Bearing this in mind the selection is strange and the reasons behind some of the choices are opaque at best. You have also to bear in mind the fact that on this tour there are no non-test matches. This means that many tourists will not feature in any match-day squad.
What, therefore, is the point of taking players such as Cameron Redpath, Ben Earl and Tom Curry, who might be prospects for future years but who will not feature as anything other than bag carriers? If they are taken to gain an insight into how senior tours work that could have been left for tours after the World Cup, when they will be significantly better players and will gain infinitely more from the experience.
The selection of Danny Cipriani makes sense only if he starts a Test or is at least on the bench and is brought on at some stage. There is no point in picking him if he is to be discarded thereafter without a chance to make his case.
In this regard you also must ask about the non-selection of Don Armand. What is the point of including him in a
Six Nations match-day squad if he is not thought worthy of inclusion in this wider touring party?
Much has been written about the selection of Brad
Shields, the
Hurricanes captain and flanker, and most of it has been nonsense. He qualifies for England directly and can be distinguished from those playing in France by the simple fact that he will be playing in England next year. The ban on picking players who play abroad has prevented an exodus to the highest-paid league in the world and those advocating change have not made any convincing case against it.
The other aspect of Shields’s selection is that he is proven in top-flight rugby. Whether he turns out to be an answer to England’s deficiencies in the back row remains to be seen. What is undebatable is that he can handle the physical and mental rigours of an intense competition such as Super Rugby. You cannot say the same about several of the players selected to tour or the many alternatives thrust forward by rugby pundits.
Though players such as Dan Cole and James Haskell are said to have been rested, there must be a doubt as to whether they will feature in Jones’s plans if their replacements perform well against the Springboks. Kyle Sinckler, Harry Williams and Ellis Genge all have the chance to make future front-row selections a difficult task. This, as much as the back row, could enhance England’s prospects, because for too long now an area of previous strength has been one of diffidence, if not weakness.
The emergence of Owen Farrell as captain will bring his leadership qualities into focus. Nobody can doubt his leadership by example; what remains unproven is his ability to manage games calmly and his relationship with officials.
Should Farrell be successful in this facet of leadership it could see the end of Dylan Hartley’s captaincy. Nobody should take pleasure from this prospect. Hartley has missed out on many important events for self-inflicted reasons, but you cannot criticise his commitment and contribution to the cause over many years. That said, international sport is not a forgiving place and which player will lead England into the World Cup is not something that should be open to doubt at this stage.
This will be a difficult tour and securing a series win, however it is achieved, is vital if England’s preparations are not to be further undone. Jones needs to get things back on track.