Eddie’s got England looking dangerous

EVERY team want to claim to be the underdog in order to take the heat off themselves and put the pressure on someone else.

However, the team I would look out for at the World Cup are England. Eddie Jones’ charges experienced a dip, losing five consecutive Test matches, but I believe that it came at the right time and they are now pretty much primed to perform at the showpiece in Japan.

England are a quality outfit and possess plenty of depth. There are a few interesting choices they have made in their 31man squad, particularly at scrum-half with the inclusion of New Zealand-born Willi Heinz. The 32-year-old is a seasoned campaigner and has starred for Gloucester.

I rate England’s chances because they have been together for a long time and are dangerous in my view.

England have fly-half Owen Farrell leading the team after injured hooker Dylan Hartley missed out on selection.

In eight editions of the Rugby World Cup only twice have backline players captained a World Cup-winning side. David Kirk and Nick Farr-Jones are the exception to the rule and Farrell will be aiming to join that exclusive club.

Meanwhile, when you talk about experienced coaches, Eddie Jones is right up there with the Steve Hansens of the world. Jones has earned his stripes and also knows what it takes to win a World Cup, having done so with the Springboks in 2007.

He has the resources, the players and the ability as a mentor in order to achieve what every coach is trying to do at the tournament.

When comparing Jones with Rassie Erasmus as students of the game, I think they are both on a par. They eke out every bit of information they can and assess how the game evolves.

Eddie, like Rassie, is always keen to try new things and he drives his own strategy pretty hard.