OurGrand Slamwas asurprise, saysJones

EDDIE JONES may have gone out of his way to extol his players’ virtues since taking the England head coach’s job, but the Australian says he never thought about winning a Grand Slam in his first season.

The 31-21 victory over France ended 13 years of hurt for England as Jones’s men registered their first Six Nations clean sweep since Clive Woodward’s team triumphed in Dublin in the same year they lifted the Webb Ellis trophy.

Barely three months into his tenure, the 56-year-old former Wallaby coach has already won more with England than predecessors Stuart Lancaster, Martin Johnson, Brian Ashton and Andy Robinson put together.

But while success has been almost instant, Jones admits the Grand Slam had come ahead of schedule.

‘I thought we could win the Six Nations,’ he said. ‘I was never thinking of a Grand Slam.

‘After we beat Wales I thought we would win it. I thought we’d beat France. I thought it would be tough, but I thought we’d be able to get there in the end.’

By delivering a Grand Slam so soon, Jones (below) has raised expectation levels around England after more than a decade’s underachievement.

He has already pulled off a number of masterstrokes since taking over from Lancaster following England’s humbling World Cup pool stage exit, not least the appointment of Dylan Hartley as captain.

The abrasive 29-year-old Northampton skipper was not widely viewed as potential captaincy material after a string of bans totalling more than a year. But, after five unbeaten Tests, he has proved a sound appointment so far.

‘When I first met Dylan we had breakfast at (England’s training base) Pennyhill Park,’ said Jones. ‘He came in, we sat down and got the food, then he got up and started talking to the staff behind in the kitchen and I could immediately see that they had a rapport with him. One of the ladies came out and started talking to him. He has an ability to have a rapport with people.

‘Those are the things you look for in leaders, it’s not how well he speaks, what school he went to, can he write poetry? That has nothing to do with leadership. It is all about the ability to influence people.’

With the Grand Slam, Triple Crown and Six Nations now secured, thoughts will turn to England’s three-Test end-ofseason trip to the coach’s home country in June.