Australia made Jones – now
The 2016 whitewash of the Wallabies seems a long time ago as the head coach goes looking for a much-needed lift
The locals gathered in the clubhouse of the Perth and Tattersalls Bowls Club noticed something was off about Eddie Jones. The glint in his eye seemed duller, the quips less pointed.
Where, wondered an Australian inquisitor, was the Jones of 2016 promising to inflict “Bodyline” and brimstone upon the Wallabies? “I don’t think I was anything other than myself in 2016 and I don’t think
I’m anything but myself now,” the England head coach said. But even that reply seemed half-hearted.
When Jones returned to these shores six years ago his confidence in himself and his England team was bullet-proof following a Six Nations Grand Slam. The 3-0 whitewash of the Wallabies afterwards still ranks as one of his greatest achievements.
Now Jones stands uneasily on a cliff edge after a run of four defeats in six games. Technically the 52-21 loss to the Barbarians does not count as a Test match but the concession of eight tries and a backheeled conversion by George Kruis was every bit as damaging. It was notable how sanguine Jones was about the performance, describing it as “bit of fun”, quite the about-turn from the infamous spray he unleashed on his
Japan captain, Toshiaki Hirose, for daring to smile after their heavy loss to the French Barbarians in 2012.
For all the talk of tactical development and pushing boundaries, England desperately need to give their supporters a reason to believe again. Bill Sweeney, the Rugby Football Union chief executive, too. You cannot keep promising a golden future when the present is so leaden.
The World Cup is 14 months away and the clock is ticking ever louder. Momentum is needed now, particularly with a tough autumn line-up that concludes with New Zealand and South Africa. Four years ago, England arrested a similar slump in South Africa by winning the third Test, which proved a launch-pad to their run to the World Cup final.
As Jones rightly states, this is also a “wonderful opportunity” for the squad undertaking possibly their last traditional tour in Australia before World Rugby revises its global calendar in 2026.
“It is a three-test series in Australia, England have only ever won there once, in 2016, and the likelihood is this could be the last proper tour of Australia,” Jones said. “If they go to the Nations Championship we won’t have these tours. A chance to create history.”
The build-up has been eerily quiet. The Wallabies have been out of sight, basing themselves on the opposite side of the country, and out of mind, with head coach Dave Rennie refusing to fire bullets in the manner that Michael Cheika once did, much to Jones’s disappointment. “In 2016 we had Cheika here and there was a bit of niggle,” Jones said. “It was good; good Australian sport. I prefer it like that but you can’t spar against nothing. I like a bit of fun. When you’re sparring in a corner by yourself it’s not much fun.”
Expect the series to explode into life today. The Wallabies boast an impressive record in Perth, where they have lost just one of eight Tests since 2010. On the flip side, England have an 8-0 record against Australia under Jones. While forwards coach Matt Proudfoot suggested this might make England vulnerable, second row Jonny Hill believes it can help inject doubt into Australian heads. “For us, it’s about starting fast and it’s only going to be in their heads, not ours,” Hill said. “If we start fast, they might start thinking, ‘No9 is on the way’.”
Yet if England are an unknown quantity then so, too, are Australia under Rennie. He has promised to take on England up front using the Brumbies’ blueprint, but their pack hardly inspires terror, with the exception of Michael Hooper. Perhaps for the first time as England head coach, Jones has selected a team who have fallen in line with the popular vote. Players have been selected on form and in their preferred positions. Age, whether it is 19-year-old Henry Arundell or 35-year-old Danny Care, has not been a factor.
If they provide the pace, the single most important element of England’s game plan will rest upon the recalled No8 Billy Vunipola, Ellis Genge and Joe Cokanasiga generating the requisite power. Winning the gain-line battle always covers a multitude of other sins, particularly in attack where England have struggled for so long.
England need their sparkle back. Jones, too.