Should Jones get the sack?

The England rugby team are in “freefall”, said Chris Foy in The Mail on Sunday. Last Saturday, for the second week in a row, they “threw away a commanding lead” against South Africa: having been 12-0 up, they failed to score in the final 67 minutes and lost 23-12. They fell victim to the same old shortcomings: “missed tackles, ruck problems and a lack of composure”. England have now lost their last five Tests; having been second in the world rankings as recently as February, they have dropped to sixth. Last year, when the side were celebrating their 18-Test winning streak, there was talk of a “new golden age”. Now, however, they face a “growing crisis”. England aren’t in a rut, said Tom Fordyce on BBC Sport online. They’re in “a trench”. This team are “less than the sum of their parts” – and that reflects very badly indeed on the head coach, Eddie Jones.

There’s only one way out of this mess, said Stuart Barnes in The Times. The Rugby Football Union (RFU) must sack Jones. When the Australian took over, in 2015, his “tough love” helped to revive the team. It’s clear, however, that his methods are no longer working: he has turned his players into “robots” by overloading them with instructions. But getting rid of Jones simply isn’t an option, said Owen Slot in the same paper. It would cost the RFU some £1m – and with the organisation in “dire financial straits”, it doesn’t have that kind of money. No, Jones “is not going anywhere”.