ED MASTER
Jones doing his homework for staying at the top of his game by chatting to wise heads Brailsford and Wenger
EDDIE JONES has picked the brains of Arsene Wenger and Sir Dave Brailsford on how best to keep England at the top of their game.
England have been crowned Six Nations champions and won the Autumn Nations Cup since reaching the World Cup Final 14 months ago.
Eight straight wins has lifted them to No.2 in the world and they are favourites to land their third consecutive trophy in the upcoming Six Nations.
But head coach Jones won’t rest on his laurels and has spent lockdown studying sporting dynasties, and how the good teams become great.
The conversations he had include one with Brailsford, who turned British cycling into an Olympic medal factory.
He has also spoken to Wenger, the longest-serving and most successful manager in Arsenal’s history. Jones revealed: “I’ve been to play at a level that the other lucky enough to have a couple of teams can’t compete against. coaches’ conferences with Dave “The ball’s in play for 32 Brailsford and Arsene Wenger. minutes, so that’s 32 minutes we
“I feel embarrassed being at want to dominate – at the the same table as Brailsford. set-piece, at the breakdown.
“His thinking about how to “When we get the ball, be able take a team forward was to take the ball forward in an absolutely outstanding. effective manner. When we kick,
“I also picked up a couple of have a great kicking game. When ideas from Arsene, who has a we defend, drive the opposition wealth of experience in how you backwards.” manage teams and, the longer These are uncertain times and you stay in the job, what you Jones is sympathetic to factors have to do to keep It is about having brought into play your team growing.” that absolute by a prolonged
Jones is currently hunger to keep period in lockdown. self-isolating after on getting better Players and staff his forwards coach spent the autumn Matt Proudfoot tested positive in a bubble at their Teddington for Covid-19. base and, under new Six Nations
He will not join up with his regulations, will have to do so squad until Thursday – nine days again for the duration of the before England kick-off their championship. campaign at home to Scotland. He added: “We will continually
But he has already set the tone monitor bubble-fatigue. A lot of for the week-long training camp players have had back-to-back at St George’s Park. seasons and conditions are quite
Jones said: “We have to learn oppressive. how to be a winning team which “But we have got to have such is about having that absolute a smile on our faces because we hunger to keep on getting better are lucky to be able to play our and never be satisfied. We want sport. We are so grateful.”