JONES SET TO WIELD AXE FOR PARIS ‘SLOGATHON’
EDDIE JONES warned that no England player is safe as he considers breaking up his tried and tested midfield to tackle France. Although the Australian has picked George Ford and Owen Farrell to start alongside each other in 20 of his 26 Tests so far, Jones said: ‘I’m not wedded to anything. No one’s indispensable. It’s the same with me. I’m not indispensable. The players understand that. They’ve got to play and perform. Who’s at 10 and 12 will be done on who we think it best for this game.’ The England head coach also revealed that the defeat against Scotland is still keeping him up at night. ‘Last night I woke up at 4am,’ he said. ‘I can’t sleep because it annoys me losing a game we shouldn’t have lost. ‘I don’t have anxiety, I have thoughts about what we have got to fix and how we are going to fix it. I have coached for 20 years. If I was anxious for 20 years I would be dead.’ If Jones does mix up his midfield ahead of Thursday’s selection for Paris it would be likely that Ford drops out, Farrell moves to fly-half and Ben Te’o fills the hole at inside centre. In the last two years Jones has only fielded what could be regarded as a big bashing No 12 twice — both occasions in the summer of 2016 when he picked Luther Burrell with Jonathan Joseph outside. That tactic was brutally scrapped when Burrell was hauled off after 30 minutes in Brisbane and Ford replaced him. So, if tempted, a change of tack would be a significant departure from a style that has won England 24 of 26 Tests under Jones. When Te’o has started he has worn No 13. With wild weather expected at the Stade de France on Saturday though, Jones could plump for more bulk, especially with 20st Mathieu Bastareaud lining up at centre. ‘We all know the Stade de France is a heavy pitch anyway, and with heavy rain it will be even heavier, so it will be a “slogathon”. We could pick a team to play a “slogathon”. ‘Bastareaud at his best is an exceptional player. He does things no other centres in the world can do.’