Now Eddie plays the hunger games
IT WAS a perfect winter’s day at England’s training base, the five-star Pennyhill Park Hotel, yesterday – cold, still, and not a cloud in the sky.
The England squad, floating along on 13 consecutive wins, were in danger of being buried by the bouquets thrown from former greats. This was the best England side since 2003, odds-on favourites to dispatch Australia tomorrow and round off an unbeaten calendar year. All was well with their world.
Too well for Eddie Jones. Something did not sit right with their relentless head coach. It was all too comfortable.
“We’re at our most vulnerable now. I was talking to the players about it this morning,” said Jones.
“When you have had some wins your appetite is pretty full and it’s a test of the mindset on Saturday. When you win, complacency is always round the corner.
“To be the best in the world you have to be like Muhammad Ali. Go for those road runs every morning at 5am when no one notices. You have to have the relentless desire and pursuit of excellence.
“At training this week we’ve been a bit iffy at stages. The quality hasn’t been great. But that’s not such a bad thing, it helps keep complacency from the door.”
Jones’s description of sub-standard training sessions drew blank looks from the players involved. They might not have rated them so but they are becoming accustomed to Jones’s routine raising of the bar.
He may have the perfect record as England coach, a better start than any of his predecessors, but with the Tasmanian Devil there is no such thing as enough. There is always an insatiable demand for more.
The autumn has been successful in terms of results but Jones is demanding the complete performance against the Wallabies to round the series off, regardless of a lengthening absentee list.
“When you’ve got everyone available and you’re flying, it’s not a great test. Now is a great test for us,” said Jones.
“If we want to win the World Cup in 2019, we might have to play with a fourth- or fifthchoice player as New Zealand did with Stephen Donald in 2011. This is a golden opportunity to show how much depth we’ve got in English rugby. “It’s come a bit harder than I thought and we are down some places and really struggling to fill holes, but it’s a great opportunity for us. I’d rather find out now than in three years’ time.” Resources are stretched furthest on the wing where the hot-and-cold Marland Yarde starts after Elliot Daly’s ban ahead of Semesa Rokoduguni who, like Dave Attwood, has been released back to Bath. “Marland is an upand-down guy,” said Jones. “Just look at his hair. Any bloke who has hair like that and changes the colour all the time is not the guy who sits down quietly and works nine to five. I like Marland and to me that is the fun part of coaching – trying to get guys like that to have consistency and understand what a great opportunity is ahead.
“I go back to 2013 when he scored that try against New Zealand and ran over Richie McCaw. If you can do that as a 21-year-old you have something going for you.”
In the back row, where the body count is also high, Nathan Hughes will start his first Test in place of Billy Vunipola who, along with brother Mako, funded Tonga’s celebrations after their win over Italy last weekend.
Crucially though for England, Jones was able to name the same No9, 10, 12 combination for the fourth consecutive match.
In contrast, Australia were forced to bring in Nick Phipps at scrum-half in place of Will Genia, who is required by his French employers Stade Francais. The Wallabies made three other alterations from the side beaten by Ireland with lock Kane Douglas, backrow Lopeti Timani and wing Sefanaia Naivalu included.
The England squad will depart Pennyhill Park after the game but not so Jones. He, his Japanese wife and their dog will continue a residence at the hotel which is approaching its first anniversary. Jones may be able to work wonders with a rugby team with his relentless drive but he is powerless to escape the red tape of moving house.
“We’re just waiting to move into a place,” he said. “I can understand why England voted for Brexit. The service here – goodness me. It’s hard to get things done, isn’t it.”
ARGENTINA prop Enrique Pieretto has been banned for seven weeks after being sent off for stamping on Joe Marler last weekend.
We are at our most vulnerable