World Cup scars starting to fade
England playing like team of old
Twelve months on from their defeat in the World Cup final and the scar remains. Even a Six Nations title, the third of Eddie Jones’s stewardship as head coach, will not fully heal the wounds the Springboks inflicted upon England in Yokohama.
In a Six Nations Championship that will be remembered for its ninemonth duration, rather than for the quality of its entertainment, England did not reach the heights of their semifinal masterclass against New Zealand from last year.
Many will argue that France, who defeated England 24-17 in the opening round, were the best team. Yet it was Jones’ side who were handed the trophy in the surreal setting of the Lensbury Club following the 34-5 win against Italy on Sunday.
That is a notable achievement when you examine the fate of previous losing World Cup finalists. Michael Cheika’s 2015 Australia lost their next five fixtures. The 2011 France team finished fourth in the following year’s Six Nations. Brian Ashton was out of a job the summer after guiding England to the 2007 final. As for the 2003 Australian team? Jones was fired after a run of seven straight defeats so he recognises the significance of securing an immediate bounce.
“Losing a World Cup final can be quite traumatic and it puts a dent in you and it leaves a scar you carry around for the rest of your life,” Jones said.
“And then you’ve got to find away to get forward again.
“I deliberately started our Six Nations campaign slowly because I wanted to give them some air to breathe as they’d all been back playing consistently for their clubs and we got sharpened up by France.
“Now we’ve evolved through this tournament, where we’re building a new team that is going to take us to greater heights.”
His reference to a “new team” is interesting, given that 11 of the starters in the World Cup final began in Rome and all four absentees are injured. Even if the personnel is largely the same, Jones has gone back to basics as he didwhenhe took over in 2016.
“We are endeavouring to play England rugby, which is about setpiece and defence,” Jones said. “Then we are looking to add to that.”
Stylistically that would appear to be a regression. In every attacking indicator from metres gained, runs, clean breaks and offloads, this represents England’s least productive Six Nations under Jones. They kicked the ball from hand far more than any other team at an average of 37 times a game.
Yet, more than anything, there has been a mental shift towards a ruthless pragmatism that the Springboks have in spades.
“I think we are a more mature side,” second row Maro Itoje, who was outstanding against Italy, said. “We have a core group that has been going for a while and we are a wiser side.”
That was a theme to which Jones instantly warmed.
His most frequent complaint during the first four years of his tenure was English players’ inability to think for themselves.
That is a moving target according to Jones.
“It’s not like a brick where you can put it down and it stays there.”
However, Jones expressed satisfaction in the manner in which the youngest team to have reached a World Cup final are now taking ownership of their own problems.
“If you lose a World Cup final, it gives you good feedback that you’re not quite good enough,” Jones said. “So we’ve got to find ways of being better and a lot of that comes down to the leadership of the team, in terms of the players, and there has been an evolution of those guys over the last 11 months to understand the experiences they have had and put them into good stead.”
England’s players have a week to recharge their batteries before the preparations for the Autumn Nations Cup, which begins with Georgia’s visit to Twickenham on November 14. Just because they are off duty does not mean the squad can fully relax, particularly with the news that Fiji have suffered a coronavirus outbreak in their camp.
“We’ve got to be cognisant of the fact that everyone is looking at what we’re doing,” Jones said.
“We understand that responsibility and we want to make sure we try to put smiles on people’s faces.”
— Telegraph Group UK