Jones: Rugby must rally behind Italy
Coach’s backing as England take on struggling Azzurri Farrell’s next 50 caps ‘will be better than Wilkinson’
Eddie Jones has called on World Rugby and the game’s leading nations, including England, to pledge their financial and coaching support to Italy in the face of mounting calls for promotion and relegation to be introduced to the Six Nations.
Italy face England today amid fears that Conor O’Shea’s side could face a record Six Nations defeat at Twickenham, having conceded 96 points in two home defeats against Wales and Ireland.
The Azzurri have never beaten England since joining the championship in 2000 and have lost their last nine games in the tournament. Their record defeat was 80-23 against England in 2001, and Jones’s men are targeting that 57-point margin.
Their run of woeful displays has led to calls for the Six Nations board to consider implementing promotion and relegation for the first time, given that Georgia, the Rugby Europe champions, are two places higher (12th) in the World Rugby rankings.
The Six Nations board, however,
have indicated that there is little appetite for change to the status quo, insisting that it is World Rugby’s responsibility to grow the game in Europe outside of the six unions who compete in the championship.
Jones, who has experience of coachland
ing a tier-two country during his three years in charge of Japan, refused to be drawn about whether the Six Nations should consider opening up the tournament to the next best side in Europe. “The only thing I would say is Italy need to be supported,” said the Eng- head coach. “If their rugby is not developing as people want then they should be supported by World Rugby and the rest of the tier-one countries because they are important.
“It is never just financial – to make a good sporting team you need financial power, you need intellect and you need the desire so you have got to find ways to help them. To me [relegation] is not something I want to delve into.”
O’Shea even called for the tournament to be expanded yesterday. “If we don’t expand the game, we’ll kill it because there will only be three or four sides left.’’
Owen Farrell will win his 50th cap today and Jones said the Saracens back, a vice-captain today, had the potential to be a future captain. “He’s moving in the right direction. He’s faster now than he was in November, he’s got better footwork, and his catching and passing is more consistent. Being a great player is about being consistent,
“I don’t think he should be compared to other players. He is Owen Farrell and he is a different player. His first 50 Tests, I think, he will be disappointed that his winning record is less than Jonny Wilkinson. I am going to guarantee that in his next 50 his winning record will be better than Jonny Wilkinson.
“I don’t think he’s as good a player as he can be, and that’s the great thing because his next 50 caps will be better than his first 50 – much better.”
Jones confirmed that Dylan Hartley would remain captain for the remainder of England’s Six Nations campaign.
Jonny May received two instructions from England head coach Eddie Jones ahead of his return to the starting XV to face Italy at Twickenham today.
The first was to shave off his beard. Jones felt May, back in the side ahead of Jack Nowell to light up Twickenham with his electric pace, would look “sharper” clean-shaven, which would therefore assist him in his second assignment: to score tries.
“I made him have a shave last night as he had a thick beard and it made him look slow,” said Jones, ever the motivator, with a smile. “He’s quick now. [I’ve asked him to score] tries and plenty of them. We want to play with real pressure and intent and we want Italy to feel that every time they have the ball, they don’t want it. And then at the end of the game, we want the ball.
“We feel that at the start of the game Jonny May’s pace will be advantageous and that at the end Jack Nowell’s work rate will be advantageous for us.”
May has been one of Jones’s pet projects since he took over the England job. He may have missed the defining moments of last season – both the Grand Slam triumph and Test series whitewash of Australia – because of a serious knee injury, but the 26-year-old has been virtually ever-present since returning to fitness, starring in the victories against South Africa, Australia and Argentina in the autumn before dropping to the bench for the last-gasp victory in Cardiff two weeks ago.
Jones is clearly drawn to the X-factor that May’s pace brings to his backline – no other player in the squad could score a try like his stunning finish against New Zealand in November 2014. Yet it is not just his shaving habits that Jones feels he needs to be on top of. “He’s always making me better and pushing me hard,” said May, who has scored eight tries in his 23 starts for England. “His attention to detail is second to none in terms of wanting me to be tighter, deeper, wider, flatter, faster, better.
“He’s on me and pushing me. I feel like I am getting better and better; everyone in this environment is. You’ve got to, otherwise you will get left behind.”
Today, though, the challenge for May is more defined: terrify the Italian defence with his pace. To that end, Jones has handed May a licence to roam. “He just wants me to work hard, put pace on the ball and be decisive,” May added. “He wants me to score tries and I will try my best.
“I want to go out there and play the best I can. I hope I get a couple of opportunities and it is my job to finish them off if I do. If not, I will have to chase kicks, talk well in defence, have a good all-round game and work really hard.” And there is no better opportu- nity for May to strike than in the wide acres of Twickenham today. England’s headquarters has not been a happy hunting ground for the Italians.
In the eight games they have played there since joining the Six Nations Championship, they have conceded an average of 42 points per game and scored just 11 in response. And that was before the Six Nations board decided to introduce bonus points this season.
England, without finding their top gear in victories over France and Wales, are still in pursuit of their first four-try bonus point after the narrow victories over France and Wales. While Jones has so far downplayed the significance of bonus points, the fact Ireland have already picked up two against Scotland and Italy has increased the stakes.
Jones has resisted the temptation to make major changes to his side and, significantly, has fielded his strongest available forward pack and maintained the George Ford/Owen Farrell combination at 10 and 12 in his attempt to “take Italy to the cleaners”.
That sense of ruthlessness was clear in two brutal training sessions during the fallow week, which in previous years was used to rest bruised limbs and bind wounds. May feels the intensity of England’s preparation has made him even quicker.
“On the fallow week last week, in previous times I have been involved it would be very much take a backward step, rest and recover and try and recharge,” May added.
“Last week we had two monstrous sessions, as hard as we have ever had; Tuesday was tough. We are showing we can do it and I think we are reaping the rewards for it.
“We get good feedback with the data from our GPS, our accelerations, our top speed, our high-intensity metres and everything.
“We’re finding ways to raise the bar and we’re not going to put limits on it. Our sessions are continuing to get harder and our results are getting better so we’re improving.
“It is very, very tight for spots and, ultimately, that will make us better players and a better team.
“Eddie said this week that it was his job to worry about selection and ours to focus on being better, training and playing well. That is the best advice you could get. It is his job to pick the team, none of us do that.
“All we can do is get better and it is a privilege to play for England. If you are given the chance, you want to go out there and give it your best if you are playing.”
And the visit to the barbers? Was he not tempted to defy his head coach and keep the beard, all the same? “I didn’t have much of a beard but he just went ‘I think you’ll look sharper with a shave, go and have a shave’, May added.
“He’s a pretty unpredictable guy. It’s all funny isn’t it? If he says have a shave then I’ll have a shave.” Now all that is left to do is score those tries.