Jones faces ‘brutally honest analysis’ of Six Nations flop

EDDIE JONES’S future will be decided by a “brutally honest analysis” of England’s dismal Six Nations performance with the Rugby Football Union declining to give him unequivocal support ahead of its tournament review.

The second fifth-place finish of the Jones era has placed the Australian’s position under intense scrutiny as a panel overseen by RFU chief executive Bill Sweeney begins the process of reviewing a failed campaign with its verdict due in mid-April.

Losses to Scotland, Wales and Ireland condemned England to their worst Six Nations performance on the grounds of points difference and Sweeney stated that “it’s important to stress that Eddie’s not in denial”.

England entered the tournament as champions after compiling an eight-Test winning run, but apart from a magnificent round four victory over France they have looked a shadow of the team that reached the final of the 2019 World Cup.

When asked if Jones or his assistants could be sacked as a result of recent performances, Sweeney said: “I don’t think I could honestly answer that one.

“It needs to be a thorough, brutally honest analysis of what went wrong and why and what the issues are.

“I spoke to him on Sunday. He’s as disappointed as we are. He’s hugely competitive and we will do this debriefing session together as a panel and see what we learn from it.

“Eddie’s massively competitive and hugely disappointed. You would expect that. He is equally frustrated at the inconsistency of the performance against France and a week later you have a performance against Ireland which is very disappointing. I know it is fine margins but to come away with a loss there when things are looking back to the way we were performing against Ireland in the autumn and the World Cup…”

The British and Irish Lions will proceed with their summer tour to South Africa after all alternative contingency plans were ruled out.

However, a number of obstacles still need to be overcome, with Lions board member Sweeney confirming cancellation would be the only option left if it is unable to go ahead for any reason.

A statement outlined the decision to stage the event in South Africa, but it is understood a reduced number of games and cities compared to the original eight-match itinerary is likely.