Gatland is now a serious contender for All Black job

ENGLAND coach Eddie Jones said he would be bringing in an expert to help his team deal with mental pressure ahead of the Rugby World Cup after they gave up a 31-0 lead to draw with Scotland at the weekend.

England needed a late try to salvage a 38-38 draw at Twickenham in Saturday’s sensational climax to the Six Nations but Jones said his team’s tendency to squander leads was becoming a “recurring theme”.

“It’s like we have some hand grenades in the back of a jeep, and sometimes they go off when there’s a lot of pressure,” he told the British media.

“It’s a bit of an intangible issue, but when you coach a team you can feel if it’s there or not.”

The Australian said the problem went back to before he took over as coach in the wake of England’s humiliating exit from their own World Cup in 2015 ago.

“The team has probably had it since 2015,” the former Australia and Japan coach added.

“Whenever you have a difficult tournament or difficult games, there’s always a lingering thought process there.

“The All Blacks had this problem for eight years and it cost them two World Cups. It’s not an easy problem to fix. We’ve had four years, we’re getting there. It’s about how you think under pressure.”

Like most top sports teams, England already have a consultant “sports mind coach” but Jones said he was looking to bring on board someone with more specific expertise.

“It’s about working on the way we think. We have people working with us ... But I’m talking about a different area now. It’s about how the team thinks under pressure.”

Jones said it was possibly a good thing the problem had been exposed so starkly against the Scots.

“When we won 18 games in a row, we still had those problems,” he said.

“And they have come to the fore in a couple of games recently, which is beneficial for us because it’s made it quite clear what we have to fix to be the best team in the world.”

England, world champions in 2003, have been pooled with three-times finalists France and twice semi-finalists Argentina as well as the United States and Tonga at the World Cup in Japan later this year. | Reuters WARREN GATLAND’S third Six Nations grand slam with Wales at the weekend only served to fuel speculation about his future after the World Cup with the New Zealander now boasting a coaching CV that makes him a serious contender for the All Black job.

Wales beat Ireland 25-7 on Saturday to clinch their fourth Six Nations title under the former All Black hooker, which positioned them as one of the favourites for the global showpiece in Japan later this year.

The 55-year-old has already said he would return home after the tournament and with All Black coach Steve Hansen also stepping down, contenders are lining up to replace him.

Gatland’s name has constantly been mentioned, along with Hansen’s current assistant Ian Foster and the Crusaders’ Scott Robertson, as one of the most likely contenders to replace Hansen.

Joe Schmidt, who is also stepping down after the World Cup, had also been in the mix after he led Ireland to three Six Nations titles, their first two victories over New Zealand and a world ranking of number two.

Schmidt, however, has said he would take time off in 2020 to spend time with family and Ireland’s spluttering form in this year’s Six Nations – they finished third and were well beaten by England and Wales – might have taken the shine off his CV anyway.

Gatland has also, probably diplomatically, already said immediately replacing Hansen might not be on the cards when he returns home, having spent 20 of the last 23 years in Europe.

“I want to be involved at some level in New Zealand rugby... ideally in Super Rugby to reintegrate back into New Zealand,” he told The 1014 Rugby Show in January. “Then if you’re successful other opportunities might come up.

“I also understand that... there might not be any coaching jobs in New Zealand. So it might be coming back and just taking some time off before another job comes up somewhere else.”

That could be the British & Irish Lions after he guided them to a 2-1 series victory in Australia in 2013 and 1-1 draw with the All Blacks four years later. He has suggested he might consider taking the side to South Africa in 2021.

British and Australian media have also suggested he was in contention for the England job, with Eddie Jones expected to also leave after the World Cup.

Gatland’s success has been on his ability to spot and develop talent and build depth, while he also consistently evolved his thinking and tactics and his influence has not been lost on his players.

“The depth he has created is no accident,” former captain Sam Warburton wrote in the Sunday Times.

“He took over a nation of underachievers and now we expect to win the Six Nations every year.

“Wales are now a team of achievers.” | Reuters