Eales urges England to stick with Jones
Eddie Jones' position as England head coach may be under scrutiny but Australian legend John Eales insists the Rugby Football Union would be mad to get rid of him.
After a disappointing Six Nations, a humiliating defeat against the Barbarians and yesterday's loss in Perth, there are serious doubts over England's ability to win next year's Rugby World Cup. One man who knows a thing or two about winning World Cup's is former Wallabies lock Eales, and he is adamant England's chances of lifting the Webb Ellis Cup would diminish without Jones.
“Eddie is very demanding on players but he's even more demanding of the coaches around him all of the time,” said Eales.
“That's probably something a lot of people have found difficult to deal with but there's no doubt he is one of the world's very best coaches, and he has a lot to offer England heading towards the World Cup.
“Eddie has a very definitive view on what he wants from his team, and you need that clarity to be successful. He's always looking for new ways to do things, and while he is doing that as a coach, he is always a threat.
“He's had a lot of great results with different countries, and different teams. He's definitely a coach the Southern Hemisphere nations won't be underestimating.”
Eales is widely considered to be one of the greatest second rows to have played the game, and even revived the dying art of forwards taking shots at goal with his last-gasp penalty against New Zealand to win the Bledisloe Cup in 2000 ingrained into Wallaby folklore.
Eales is also a big fan of Maro Itoje who he believes is one of the best locks in the world. “Itoje is a guy I respect enormously,” he said. “His energy on the field, his lineout prowess, and his skillset is immense.
“England always have really strong second rows and locks these days can be the driving force behind the success of a team with regards what they control, the lineout, and the go forward around the field, along with disrupting the other team.
“I think Itoje is a guy who always has a big influence on the result of any game he plays in. He's a world class player.”
Australian rugby has suffered a fall from grace since the halcyon days of Eales' era where winning World Cups and beating the All Blacks was always a realistic prospect. But the 52-year-old is confident they are heading in the right direction under Dave Rennie and believes they will be contenders in France next year.
“Last year we saw some very strong performances from the Wallabies most notably the South African Test matches,” he said.
“We have some players like Marika Koroibete, Samu Kerevi, and Michael Hooper who are pushing to be the best players in their positions in the world. I really like what Dave Rennie has done.
“He has built a really strong pack that can physically match bigger packs.
“There are some really unique talents in this squad, and anyone who comes up against the Wallabies will face a challenging contest.”
