IT MAY BE TIME TO LEARN FROM SCHMIDT’S WINNING TEMPLATE

AFTER three straight defeats and a lowly fifth place in the Six Nations table there must, of course, be an England inquest into the last seven weeks from Eddie Jones but let’s recognise how good Ireland have been, not least because if you study their successful template there are considerable clues as to where England went wrong.

Ireland were excellent, the best team in the tournament by a distance. They are the best coached side in Europe, with Joe Schmidt and Andy Farrell missing nothing. They have the best strength in depth, making light of big injuries.

They are the most consistent in terms of selection, they are the calmest under pressure and they are probably the fittest side as well.

They certainly look the freshest and most rested, with strong central control by the IRU working brilliantly for the national team.

Congratulations to all concerned, yesterday was historic and impressive and all on St Patrick’s Day. Life doesn’t get much better and they are now poised to mount a massive challenge to New Zealand and all comers at RWC2019.

England and Eddie Jones, in contrast, have got to do a lot of soul searching and honest words need to be spoken. But above all it needs to be done in a calm atmosphere out of the limelight.

I’ve written about this before but Eddie — partially because he is a big personality who the media will naturally latch on to — has become too much the ‘show’ and there have been way too many distractions this season. You can’t operate long term like that, it saps your energy and the team lose focus.

So it is time for Jones and his coaching staff to go to ground, it’s a time for a period of silence. In fact, although they are all workaholics, with Eddie setting the tone in that respect with his 4am texting sessions to players when he can’t sleep, everybody needs to hit the beach and neck a few cold beers.

England’s think tank need to decompress because sometimes in the full-on madness of a Six Nations you can’t see the wood for the trees.

England have not just lost three games on the trot, it is the manner of defeat. They were poor against Scotland and France and, although there was undoubtedly an improvement in their physicality and intensity yesterday, I can’t say there was ever a time in the game I thought they looked likely to really trouble Ireland.

But they still have some great players at their disposal. It’s not remotely panic time. This blip has been coming and was widely predicted so should not come as a shock and there is an argument that its best for England to get their wake-up call 18 months out from the World Cup not six.

Now is the time for cool heads and clear thinking, searching questions and honest answers.