Cueto: England need unity on and off pitch

EDDIE Jones will not hesitate to kick more disruptive stars into World Cup touch if they step out of line en route to Japan.

That’s the firm message the England boss sent out to the rest of his 31-man squad when he acted swiftly to axe Mike Brown and Ben Te’o.

Former Test star Mark Cueto feels Jones was correct in removing the pair from his tournament plans after they were involved in a dust-up in Treviso.

Harlequins full-back Brown and ex-Worcester centre Te’o paid a hefty price for their scrap at a social event on what was meant to be a team bonding opportunity in Treviso.

Both players are said to be devastated by their omission while Jones has spoken about his concerns over indiscipline and how it could harm the team’s bid to emulate the 2003 Sydney heroes.

Cueto claims: “When it comes to discipline, you have to set your stall out early and Eddie has certainly done that.

“It’s one thing having scraps on the training field, it’s a contact sport and people are fighting for places and putting everything on the line.

“However, it is different when it’s out of the training environment and in a bar or cafe and it has to be dealt with pretty harshly. Eddie has done that. He threw them out of the squad immediately.

“It sends a solid message to the rest of the lads. The players now know what to expect if it happens again.

“To win a World Cup you have to have a happy and settled camp with players ready to walk through brick walls for each other.

“You need complete unity off the field and a real togetherness on it. A part of the trip to Treviso was to help players build relationships off the field as well as combinations on it.”