It’s all about the here and now Eddie... forget about being best team ever!
WORLD CUP WINNING COACH
IMUST admit to just shaking my head earlier this week when Eddie Jones started talking about making England into the greatest-ever rugby team.
Grandiose statements like that looking to a golden future may impress some at the RFU and, dare I say, many journalists and the casual fan but for me the job of head coach of England is all about the next 80 minutes — France in Paris. Nothing else, and I mean nothing else, should be in anyone’s mind.
Look after the pennies and the pounds will take care of themselves, as the saying goes.
England might one day again become the best team in the world, even the best rugby team ever, but in reality who cares? And it will only ever happen by concentrating solely on the next game. England is about today and not tomorrow.
I have seen this blue skies thinking and future planning many times and was guilty of it myself when a rookie international coach, and it is just an unconscious defence mechanism to buy yourself more time. Jones is not a rookie coach.
It started to go wrong for England at RWC2015 when, a few months before the tournament, head coach Stuart Lancaster and RFU director of rugby Rob Andrew suddenly started talking about the potential of the side for RWC2019 and that England might not be at their best, might not have the right age profile until Japan — this despite four years of preparation. It was a ridiculous statement — it showed their inexperience at this level — and England paid a very heavy price for such flawed thinking.
The trouble with such long-term thinking is that players start believing they have four years to prove themselves, that they are part of the furniture and an integral part of England’s long-term plans when actually their place in the team should be on the line every time they pull on the white jersey.
Coaches likewise. I want to see a much hungrier attitude all-round.
A loss against France and the Grand Slam is gone, another poor Six Nations they could all be gone.
That is the attitude all concerned must adopt and relish. England and the English mentality excel when they are in a corner, written off and fighting for their lives. The English, especially, are not good when we start smelling the roses.
England need to concentrate 100 per cent on the next game because coming off a miserably poor nonperformance in the World Cup final they have plenty on their plate and plenty of questions to answer. In fact, that game is a prime example of the point I am trying to make.
England got badly carried away after beating New Zealand so impressively, they forgot that was worthless unless they followed it up seven days later in the final.
They started smelling the roses, seemed to lose concentration and were badly distracted in that crucial week. Eddie made a couple of selection errors and suddenly England gave their worst performance in years, just as bad as any game in 2015. That’s what happens when you let your mind wander.
They turned up 35 minutes late for the game and looked the exact opposite of a high- performance team at their peak. A week is a long time in rugby, let alone four years. ‘You are only as good as your last game’ has never been more pertinent to this England team.
Those lessons must underpin their approach to the French game where I make France favourites.
They will have a strong revved-up scrum, possess an excellent lineout and their back row is very quick and active at the breakdown. That’s plenty to be dealing with before we even consider Antoine Dupont — probably the world’s best scrumhalf — and his half-back partner Romain Ntmack who is set to take the rugby stage by storm.
England must go with their strong scrummaging pack, which means there is an argument for starting Joe Marler ahead of Mako Vunipola, although Mako does look back to full fitness. Luke CowanDickie is on fire and is perhaps a stronger scrummager than Jamie George so there is also an argument for starting with him and asking George to use his pace and dynamism off the bench. Harry Williams is England’s best tighthead by a long way and must start. Unbelievably he wasn’t in Japan.
Kyle Sinckler and Ellis Genge must always be factored into the equation. They are fantastic players but there will be games when the need for absolute maximum s c r u mmaging power means they might not start. In the second row England need the power and line-out nous of George Kruis alongside Maro Itoje, with Courtney Lawes providing the bench option. As for the back row I see the absence of Billy Vunipola as a chance for Ben Earl at No8. I would start with the Kamikaze Kids, Tom Curry and Sam Underhill, but I’ve
seen talk that Eddie is considering bringing in a more traditional six and a stronger carrying option, perhaps moving Itoje or Lawes to six. I would advise against it, these are specialist positions and Maro at six didn’t really work in the past.
As for the backs, for this match especially, I’d want Owen Farrell back at ten. It was harsh of Eddie to single out George Ford at No10 as being crucial in the World Cup final defeat — as essentially it was Eddie’s mistake — but there is some truth in his observation. England right now need Farrell driving them forward at ten.
The back three of Elliot Daly, Jonny May and Anthony Watson is probably secure although Ollie Thorley will press hard on the wing and it’s a shame that Joe Cokanasiga is injured. The midfield is again a cause of concern with Henry Slade injured and, in my team at least, Farrell moving to ten. The candidates appear to be Jonathan Joseph who is looking good, Manu Tuilagi who hasn’t been ripping up trees since Japan, Ollie Devoto who has been going well for Exeter and Fraser Dingwall at Saints. The most important thing is to start talking about how to beat France — scrums, line- outs and restarts. They are the here and now. Frankly being the best team ever is irrelevant.