Grand Slam victory for Irish team
Disappointment for England coach
TAKING the positives from defeat is the standard postmatch mantra of the modern sporting coach but Eddie Jones was surely stretching credulity when he vowed that England would be better for their worst Six Nations performance in 35 years.
Ireland’s 24-15 victory on Saturday secured the Grand Slam but the statistics on the side of the defending champions who came into the tournament clearly ranked second in the world behind New Zealand take some comprehending.
Victories for Scotland and Wales meant that England finished outright fifth in the standings, their worst performance since 1983. It was their first home defeat under Jones, their first in the Six Nations at Twickenham since 2012 and the first time they have lost three in a row in the championship for 12 years.
“In these three games we’ve learned about ourselves, about the team, about how we go about our game, and it’s part of the process of being a better team,” Jones told reporters.
“You guys only see the external. When you take over a team like England there are things you can fix quickly but internal mechanisms, such as developing leaders, are slow burners, so for us it’s been an enormously beneficial, if disappointing, tournament.
“I think we are moving forward and I know that’s hard to see.”
It certainly was for most of the 82 000 at Twickenham, who have got used to victories under Jones as he won 24 of his first 25 games in charge.
The ledger now reads 24 from 28 and things are not about to get any easier. England’s next five games are a three-match series in South Africa in June followed by Twickenham dates with the Springboks and New Zealand.
Jones said, however, that he had never been content with his extended honeymoon period.
“Even with 23 wins we knew we weren’t good enough and had to change some things,” he said.
“Unfortunately it’s something you have to have.
“Every team I’ve had have had a run like this – it’s instrumental to the development of a team.
“Some have come in and done well while others are going to struggle to participate in the future.”
England were always chasing the game on Saturday after early tries for Garry Ringrose and C J Stander, and though they hit back through Elliot Daly, they never really recovered from conceding a third try in firsthalf stoppage time to Jacob Stockdale.
Daly’s second and a late score for Jonny May merely reduced the deficit but Jones maintained his team are not far away from where he wants them.
“There’s nothing that stands out that we massively need to fix,” he said.
“We’ve had a slight fix at the breakdown – though Ireland didn’t really contest there as much as in the last two games, so I’m not sure if we’ve fixed that.
“A run like this tests your resolve, your purpose and your team. That is what we are going through at the moment.
“I thought our effort against Ireland was outstanding. The players stuck at it, but the other team was too good. They are a tough, well coached side with good leadership and they played exceptionally well.” —