Jones wants England to focus on their own game
Pilgrims’ goalkeeper shows his class with a superb performance at chilly Accrington
ENGLAND are looking inwards for the missing intensity that Eddie Jones insists is responsible for the disastrous start to their Guinness Six Nations title defence.
Scotland emerged convincing 11-6 winners from Saturday’s opener to register their first win at Twickenham since 1983, leaving Owen Farrell’s team to begin the rebuilding process against Italy.
Jones has been overseeing a forensic review of the Calcutta Cup surrender and is targeting an immediate return to form when the Azzurri visit London in round two.
“We just felt that we held back a little bit and we weren’t our usual vibrant selves,” head coach Jones said.
“We’re really making sure that we focus on ourselves this week and get playing the sort of rugby we’d like to play, which is getting on the front foot and keeping the opposition on the back foot.
“We’re just disappointed we didn’t improve from the French game (in the Autumn Nations Cup). We’re always looking to improve. As I said, I take responsibility for the performance. Sometimes you don’t give the players exactly the right information and we didn’t play the way we wanted to. We’re on to the Italy game now.”
Among the areas of external scrutiny has been the performance of flyhalf Farrell, with his place in the team now being questioned for the first time since making his debut in 2012.
Jones’ initial response post-match was to say England lacked the possession to launch any meaningful attack, but footage shows the Saracen neglecting overlaps in the second-half, instead opting to kick.
In defence of his captain, Jones said: “There are five million situations in the game and we don’t coach five million situations.
“Once we get on the field the players make all the decisions and that’s always been the case, but the responsibility to prepare them for the game is the head coach’s and therefore I didn’t give them the right information.”
England have added props Kyle
Sinckler and Mako Vunipola to their 28-man squad at the expense of Exeter Chiefs’ Harry Williams and Wasps’ Tom West.
Sinckler missed the Calcutta Cup debacle due to serving a ban for swearing at a referee, while Vunipola has been out since November with an Achilles injury. Vunipola has fully recovered and will face Italy.
“They’re both exceptional players. Mako is the elder statesman of the side, an experienced player,” Jones said.
“He’s been training really well. He’s got a lot of conditioning in him and we feel that he’ll be available for selection.
“Kyle was dynamic for us during the autumn. It’s good to have those two back.”
AN injury-hit Torquay United ‘won’ a point in stoppage time when Billy Waters struck a deserved equaliser for the Gulls against Wealdstone in the 91st minute at Plainmoor on Tuesday night.
It didn’t look like the goal was going to come on a horribly windy night, but the team didn’t give up following Wealdstone’s first half opener - and United will go to Woking on Saturday still eight points clear of second place and in the driving seat for promotion.
But manager Gary Johnson wasn’t best pleased with the performance. He said: “I am disappointed to draw - we said the wind would play a big part and it did for both teams.
“We salvaged a point in the end, after having a very poor first half but a second half where we have peppered their box.
“We didn’t quite have enough quality although their goalie made a good save and there were a couple of good blocks on the line.”
“There was a lot happening, we gave it a bit of a go, but we just didn’t have that extra guile to win the game.”
With Connor Lemonheigh-Evans suspended after picking up five yellow cards, and Armani Little and Dean Moxey added to an injury list which also now includes Aaron Nemane, the squad was fully stretched, with a bench made up of four young players and an on-loan goalkeeper.
In front of Shaun MacDonald there was a defence made up of Joe Lewis, Sam Sherring and Kyle Cameron, with Adam Randell and Jake Andrews playing as wing backs in a 5-3-2 formation.
Max Sheaf, Asa Hall and Ben Whitfield were the midfield three with Billy Waters and Josh Umerah up front.
Torquay started well but, with the strong wind behind them, Wealdstone got better as the half continued.
Sheaf went off in the 33rd minute, adding to Johnson’s injury woes, with Olaf Koszela joining the game on the right of midfield and Randell moving into the centre. Joe Lewis became the right-back in the new 4-4-2 formation.
Wealdstone went ahead on 36 minutes - Jake Andrews backing off from Jacob Mendy who saw some space and fired a 22-yard shot into the far right hand corner of MacDonald’s goal.
The second half saw the Gulls lay siege to the visitors’ goal, but it didn’t look like it was going to be their day. However, four minutes were added to the 90 by the referee and Waters smashed home the rebound after an Asa Hall shot had been blocked. Cameron had an even later chance but his header from a Waters chip into the box was placed wide.
Johnson said: “That was the team that was available to us because at this moment in time we have got a few injuries.
“So we have got to try and get a bigger squad back together so that we aren’t killing the same people week in, week out. We missed a couple of the lads that were out injured today.”
PAUL Tisdale has been sacked as manager of Sky Bet League One strugglers Bristol Rovers after less than three months in the role.
The former Exeter City and MK Dons boss signed a two-and-ahalf-year contract with Rovers on November 19 as the successor to Ben Garner, who was axed with the club 18th in the third tier.
However, Tisdale’s arrival has not led to an upturn in results and they sit above the drop zone on goal difference alone following Tuesday’s 2-0 defeat at home to Oxford which stretched their winless run to eight matches.
Director of football Tommy Widdrington has been placed in temporary charge as Rovers also announced Mel Gwinnett had left the club.
“Bristol Rovers can confirm that it has parted company with manager Paul Tisdale,” said a statement on the club website.
“Tommy Widdrington will be taking charge of the first team on a temporary basis, while the club undertakes the process of appointing a new manager. Tommy will be assisted by Jack Mesure and Kevin Maher.
“The club would like to thank both Paul and Mel for their efforts and wish them both the best of luck for the future.”
Tisdale won just three out of 15 league games - including a 2-0 success against Plymouth Argyle during his stint with Rovers, who have the same number of points as Wigan, Swindon and Northampton, a trio of clubs that occupy places in the relegation zone.
At the same time as Tisdale’s sacking broke, Northampton parted company with manager Keith Curle and assistant manager Colin West.
Chairman Kelvin Thomas said the decision was taken with a heavy heart but was in the best interests of the club.
“We have a huge amount of respect for Keith and Colin and we will always owe them a debt of gratitude for the promotion they achieved but we feel a change is now required,” he said.
“Our results, and in particular our lack of goals, have left us in a very difficult position in the league and we believe that this decision is in the best interests of the club as we battle to retain our League One status.”
Under 18s coach Jon Brady has been placed in caretaker charge, to be assisted by Ian Sampson and Marc Richards.
Meanwhile, former Argyle player Yann Songo’o has been charged by the Football Association for allegedly directing a homophobic insult at an opposing player.
The FA launched an investigation into the incident after Songo’o was shown a straight red card in Morecambe’s home defeat to Tranmere at the end of last month.
GOALKEEPER Mike Cooper showed why he is so highlyrated by Plymouth Argyle manager Ryan Lowe with a man-ofthe-match display in the 1-0 win at Accrington Stanley.
The 21-year-old produced one of his best performances for the Pilgrims, capping it off with two terrific saves in second half stoppage time.
It came less than 10 miles away from where Cooper made his Argyle debut as an 18-year-old.
He was unexpectedly pressed into service when Kyle Letheren was injured in a League One game away to Blackburn Rovers in October 2017.
On his latest trip to east Lancashire, Cooper was thrilled to play his part in a hard-earned win, which came courtesy of a 51st minute goal from striker Niall Ennis.
Cooper said: “It’s a good result, coming here on a Tuesday night when it’s freezing. To be fair to the groundsman the pitch was better than what we first thought.
“It was still a tough night away from home so to come out with a clean sheet and a 1-0 win is superb.
“That victory makes the journey home a bit easier. It was actually quite nice to see a bit of snow, we don’t really see it down south.”
Cooper was kept busy throughout the game as he thwarted Accrington with a number of impressive saves, but there were times when he did feel the bitter cold.
“At the start of both halves, but as soon as you start getting into the game, and concentrating and talking, I think you just manage to block it out in the end,” he said.
Argyle bounced back from the disappointment of conceding two late goals in the 2-2 draw at Portsmouth on Saturday to beat promotion-chasing Accrington.
Cooper said: “This result has turned that point (at Portsmouth) into a good one.
“I think we would have taken four points from these two games if you had said that to us on Friday night. It should have been six, but that’s football.”
Cooper really came into his own in stoppage time at the end of the game against Accrington as the home side desperately pushed for an equaliser.
First, he parried away a header from Adam Phillips and then, in the closing seconds, Cooper was equal to a powerful first-time shot from Dion Charles.
Cooper said: “You sort of forget about the time left and just focus on the task at hand. As soon as the final whistle goes you can start celebrating.”
Charles must have thought he was going to score when he got away his last-gasp shot from the edge of the penalty area.
“I didn’t see him strike the ball off his foot,” said Cooper. “I just knew he was going to volley it so I was just waiting for the ball to come.
“As soon as it did I smacked it away as far as I could, and I was then ready to deal with whatever was coming next.
“As soon as the final whistle has gone and you evaluate your game, then it’s a good feeling.
“At the time, if they go and score from the corner then it cancels it out and makes it irrelevant.”
Ennis made his first start for Argyle against Accrington, with Ryan Hardie relegated to the substitutes’ bench.
He has now scored twice in five appearances after signing from Wolverhampton Wanderers on a permanent deal last month.