EDDIE PUTS HIS FAITH IN ROOKIES
Bold selections as England bid for glory
RUARIDH McConnochie and the rest of England’s World Cup rookies were still coming to terms with the life - changing news they received yesterday when Eddie Jones delivered an emphatic declaration of faith.
‘It’s our best 31,’ said the head coach of the squad he had just named, awash with unfamiliar novices. ‘I’m convinced it is our best 31. I could have picked more experienced players, but I just don’t feel they’ll give us what the younger guys will give us.’
In the last 18 months, the veterans have been usurped. And the process has accelerated as the World Cup has drawn nearer, at just the time most countries are seeking to stockpile those who have been round the block a few times.
England will go to Japan without Dylan Hartley, Chris Robshaw, Mike Brown, Danny Care or James Haskell. They have lost a stack of caps, but, according to Jones, gained so much. ‘It’s always nice to bring new blood in,’ said the Australian. ‘It freshens everything up.’
So England are refreshed by the influx of tyros such as Bath’s uncapped outside back McConnochie and Northampton flanker Lewis Ludlam, who only made his debut in the victory against Wales on Sunday.
‘He came from nowhere,’ admitted Jones. These two aren’t the only newcomers. Another Bath wing, the giant Joe Cokanasiga, only has five caps to his name but has precious X-factor which Jones could not ignore.
Willi Heinz, 32, is an older rookie but he has also made the cut after just one international appearance.
Jones was bullish and energised as he assessed his left-field choices. He identified a specific occasion when McConnochie caught his eye, saying: ‘I’ll tell you the game I saw him. It was a beautiful sunny day in Exeter. He played for Bath and did a lot of good things. I remember driving back in the car and trying to find out more information about him.
‘He is a big, tall guy with feet and at Exeter, because you are close to the ground, you can hear and see the communication of the players. He is a very good communicator. We found out more about him and he continued to play well. Once he came into camp, he cemented our impression of him. He’s a mature boy who has played a number of positions, so he was a pretty easy selection.’
McConnochie, the former Team GB sevens player, recalled that game against Exeter in his first season of professional, 15-a-side rugby.
‘It was the first 20 minutes where it went really well for me,’ he said. ‘Every time I got the ball there was a bit of space.’
It has been a remarkable career liftoff. In May last year, McConnochie went with a school friend to the Premiership final as a paying spectator, without any inkling about what would happen in the year ahead. Once Jones had identified his potential and called him up in May, he was welcomed with a reassuring message.
‘Eddie has been great all the way through,’ said McConnochie. ‘He said something really good to me at the start — “You are in because you’re great at what you do. Just be yourself”. That gives an uncapped player like me massive confidence.’
Ludlam has been similarly encouraged to be himself since coming into the squad on the back of a breakthrough season for the Saints. Jones acclaimed him as an ‘uncomplicated player’, adding: ‘You ask him to do something, he does it and he does it at 100 per cent. To me, he’s one of those old-fashioned sixes that just does the job. He carries hard, tackles hard, cleans out hard. He’s had to beat some good players to get there. You’ve got Robshaw, who’s a 75-capper, and others. He’s done really well to get in.’
Jones also gave an insight into the human side of the selection process. He can be ruthless, but he is also aware of the impact of his decisions. ‘We’ve left out some good players and it’s difficult,’ he said. ‘It’s a stressful, painful period. As a coach it’s probably one of my least favourite times. Telling players they haven’t made the World Cup is not a nice conversation, but unfortunately you just can’t pick everyone.’
He has opted to pick Jack Nowell, even though the Exeter wing is still striving to recover from injuries. There are no guarantees that he will be fit before the squad fly to Japan on September 8, but Nowell said: ‘I am all right. I took a whack to my ankle in the Premiership final and tore a few ligaments in my knee.
‘I am on the right track, but pushed it a bit hard at the start so it flared up a bit. The surgeons are very happy so hopefully I’ve turned a corner.
‘I have been able to do a lot of the training. I have always had Italy (England’s final warm-up match on September 6) in my head. I want to work towards that.’