Eddie Jones’s England plan
New coach Jones vows there will be a clean slate for Cipriani, Tuilagi and Hartley
EDDIE JONES has thrown a lifeline to England’s World Cup outcasts by promising former indiscretions and disciplinary lapses held against them by Stuart Lancaster will not affect their international futures.
The newly-appointed England head coach has made it clear the likes of Danny Cipriani (drink driving charge), Manu Tuilagi (guilty of assaulting a police officer) and Dylan Hartley (repeated on-field disciplinary breaches) still have international futures.
Sale fly half Cipriani, who faces a court hearing in London on December 10, was controversially overlooked by Lancaster for his 31-man squad following a training ground bust-up with assistant coach Mike Catt, without being given a start in any of England’s three World Cup warm-up games.
Leicester centre Tuilagi was banished from the squad for nine months in May after pleading guilty to assaulting a female police officer on a drunken night out. Lancaster finally ran out of patience with Northampton hooker Hartley when he was banned for head-butting in the Aviva Premiership semi-final. When asked about players who had fallen foul of Lancaster’s strict disciplinary code, Jones said: ‘I am not worried about what’s happened in the past, all I’m worried about is what’s going to happen in the future. If Cipriani’s good enough to be in the 30, he’ll be in the 30. If he’s not good enough, he won’t be in the 30, it’ll have nothing to do with what he’s done in the past. But he might have to get a taxi to training!’
Lancaster was criticised for his unwillingness to embrace ‘mavericks’ during his four-year tenure. Some players complained they were unable to shed preconceptions about their character and willingness to buy into the team culture.
‘I can’t judge them on what they’ve done before,’ said Jones. ‘I’ve got to look at the players and say: “Right, can you help this team win?” If they can help this team win and they buy into the team values then — you can always have guys that come outside a little bit. But you can’t have too many of them. If they’re a little bit outside of team culture then they’ve got to be worth having in the team.’
Tuilagi, 24, who is battling back from a chronic groin condition which has seen him sidelined for the best part of a year, was so unhappy with the RFU’s handling of the announcement regarding his assault charge he considered quitting international rugby. Cipriani’s hopes of being picked again appear thin while Catt and fellow assistant coach Andy Farrell remain in place.
Jones will interview Lancaster’s three-man coaching team of Farrell, Catt and Graham Rowntree this week before deciding whether to retain their services or look to the likes of Bristol forwards coach Steve Borthwick and Saracens defence coach Paul Gustard.
All three incumbents were handed six-year deals, along with Lancaster, by RFU chief executive Ian Ritchie last year and would potentially be eligible for six-figure pay offs if they lose their jobs.
Ritchie, who insists Jones was the only coach he considered approaching once the decision was made to sack Lancaster, says money will not be an issue.
‘It is a matter for Eddie to appraise the coaches and then it is absolutely his call for what team he wants and we will do whatever he needs to assist him to get whatever team he wants,’ said Ritchie, who added that his recommendation to appoint Jones was backed unanimously by the RFU board.
Whoever Jones settles upon to make up his coaching team, they will have only two weeks in camp with players before England’s opening Six Nations fixture against Scotland at Murrayfield on February 6.
While he accepts he will not have time to get his players fully up to speed with his attacking philosophy — which will be based around returning England’s set-piece play to its former potency — he says a meeting with another former Wallaby coach, Bob Dwyer, during the World Cup convinced him he can make a swift impression.
Jones said: ‘Bob Dwyer said during the World Cup: “Mate. You only need one week to change a team”. His age may be getting to him. You need more than a week. But if you get the players to understand how you want to play and prioritise those things, you can change quickly.
‘It is never going to be perfect, we are not going to be all ready when we play Scotland but I want the players to have a clear understanding of how we want to play, then go out and play it.
‘If we do that, we have given a good performance.’
Jones intends to speak with his
former sparring partner Sir Clive Woodward — who he pitted his wits against in the 2003 World Cup final — while he is also expected to meet individually with captain Chris Robshaw and all the Aviva Premiership club directors of rugby.
‘I have got to appraise the staff and make sure we are covering all the areas,’ said Jones.
‘In terms of the rugby we need to have the coaching skill there, then we have got to look at the medical and strength and conditioning staff and that will cover the players being healthy and fit.
‘Then we need to work out how we manage them off the field. It is something I don’t know yet.’