OUTSPOKEN AND UNMISSABLE… EVERY WEEK
I WAS knocked for six at Twickenham last weekend after watching England lose to South Africa. I couldn't quite believe what I was seeing. What was clear is that whoever Eddie Jones has been picking, those players have not been performing.
It's all very well players saying ‘don't blame Eddie', but if you are not playing well he will be blamed, and we've seen that happen over the course of two years with two bad Six Nations campaigns.
Over the autumn, we saw a single 10-minute surge against New Zealand when England created opportunities and put them away – and, even though it was against 14 men, it was still good to see. Outside that, there was very little to cheer. They could not discover it again against South Africa, and you were left wondering where that burst against the All Blacks had come from – was it from the bench players coming onto the pitch, or from the coaches, or a combination of the two?
What was obvious is that, against a team as physically powerful as South Africa, you have to change emphasis. Rather than confronting them head-to-head, be smart and look to find space at every opportunity. Then attack that space, and play at pace. Sustained high tempo rugby is the key to being successful against a team like South Africa.
The problem with England is that there is no urgency, with players most of the time performing like there is no competition pushing them for their place in the team. It means that, instead of England showing the tenacity they had for 10 minutes against New Zealand for 80 minutes in each of their three big autumn fixtures, they dropped off alarmingly in terms of intensity.
I walked away from the ground thinking how would I feel if the RFU let Eddie Jones go? My initial reaction was that I would be excited about who would come in to shake up this team and make them realise how good they can be. By contrast, if Eddie continues we've got a couple of months of uncertainty before the Six Nations – and, on paper, England are not beating France and Ireland in this tournament.
England do not seem to possess the aggressive ball-carriers who consistently make dents in defences. If you look at other back rows, the French have got size, strength and speed with players like Charles Ollivon and Greg Aldritt. The Irish have intelligent operators like Josh van der Flier and Caelan Doris, and the New Zealanders the pace and aggression of Ardie Savea and Dalton Papali'i. Then there's South Africa's conveyor belt of big, powerful units with Evan Roos the latest addition to a back row which already has Siya Kolisi, Jasper Weise, Franco Mostert, and Pieter-Steph du Toit playing for places.
England could do with some back rowers in the same mould, because at the moment they are not functioning effectively, with Tom Curry fizzling out during the autumn campaign. He was not alone – Jonny Hill gives away too many silly penalties, and Jonny May doesn't look as sharp as he was. For me, it's got to be either Owen Farrell or Marcus Smith at fly-half, and it would be great for England to find the punchy centres we have been waiting for, especially as Manu Tuilagi had a pretty quiet autumn. The impact Ollie Lawrence has made since joining Bath is a promising sign, and if he is brought into the team and plays his way, and is given the ball in the right areas, it could work.
The problem is that there are too many players who are not their true selves when they pull on an England shirt. England need a splash of colour and energy in the way they play, not just the blackand-white picture we have seen over the last two years.
Eddie Jones is fighting for his job but, at the moment, all he can do is use words because the pictures of England playing has not been much of a highlights reel. He is in a tough spot, and it will be surprising if he can convince the RFU's faceless review panel he should stay– although he should really be judged by a proper high-performance panel.
It is interesting that one of the candidates mentioned to replace Jones as an interim coach could be Conor O'Shea, the RFU's performance director. O'Shea is a decent person who is well thought of and, although he didn't get a win as Italy's head coach, I don't think even Graham Henry could have managed that.
Having an interim coach is a mixed bag. If you look at what happened with Stuart Lancaster, he took over from Martin Johnson as an interim coach in 2012, and then got good enough results for the RFU to stick with him until the 2015 World Cup.
However, when you have names like Warren Gatland, Scott Robertson, Wayne Smith and Steve Borthwick being linked to the England coaching job, they are high calibre candidates, and it appears there is an RFU process underway already to look at a successor to Jones.
Gatland has also been mentioned as a possible interim coach who could come in for the next Six Nations, and then go through to the World Cup, and be retained, or not, depending on how well England do in the tournament.
Gatland has great experience, and an impressive record at international level, and he could be a good choice if he gets his teeth into a new job as England coach.
The only consideration is that it could muddy the waters in terms of timing, because the other candidates will almost certainly want to have been appointed before the end of the 2023 World Cup.
I don't believe that England could be any worse with a new coach. With a new face, and a new voice, the players will know that they have to play well, or not keep their place in the team. It is a brave call, and it could be the right call.
Everything leans towards Eddie Jones going. If he continues and wins only two or three games in the Six Nations again, then it will be dull, with no sense of anticipation. There has been a long drop-off since the 2019 World Cup semi-final win over New Zealand, and going into the 2023 World Cup you want to bring the country with you, and bring the roar back.
