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'Brutally honest analysis': How the RFU say they will review England's misfire under Eddie Jones
The dismal Six Nations by England and the performance of head coach Eddie Jones will be subject to a “brutally honest analysis”, according to the Rugby Football Union. The second fifth-place finish of the Jones era has placed the Australian’s position under intense scrutiny with the post-championship debrief finishing in mid-April.
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“It needs to be a thorough, brutally honest analysis of what went wrong and why and what the issues are,” RFU chief executive Billy Sweeney said. Losses to Scotland, Wales and Ireland condemned England to their worst Six Nations performance on the grounds of points difference and equalled the fifth-place finish of 2018.
Owen Farrell’s side entered the tournament as champions after compiling an eight-Test winning run but over the last two months, they have looked a shadow of the team that reached the final of the 2019 World Cup final.
“We certainly don’t want it to be an opportunity to wallow in excuses,” said Sweeney, who will head up a review panel consisting of established figures from within the game. “It has been an unusual year and I could reel off a whole list to you – we had to deal with this, we had to deal with that.
“But we don’t want to dwell on that, we want to look at the more fundamental issues. How does this impact our thinking to go through to 2023?”
Rob Baxter didn't shy away from questions about Eddie Jones and England at his weekly media conference on Tuesday
https://t.co/3O1n7EXw24— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) March 23, 2021
Sweeney must decide whether the second major slump of Jones’ reign is evidence of permanent stagnation or a temporary slide that he is equipped to reverse. Among the criticisms made of the Australian are his loyalty to out-of-form players, failure to solve an on-field disciplinary crisis, conservative tactics, wild inconsistency in results and performances and the team’s failure to add up to the sum of its parts.
When asked if Jones or his assistants could be sacked as a result of recent performances, Sweeney said: “I don’t think I could honestly answer that one. I spoke to him on Sunday. He’s as disappointed as we are. He is hugely competitive and we will do this debriefing session together as a panel and see what we learn from it.”
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Counting in Jones’ favour is a win ratio of 77 per cent – the highest of any England head coach. “You have to recognise and respect Eddie’s achievements since he has been here – three Six Nations titles, a Grand Slam, a World Cup final. That’s a tremendous performance,” Sweeney said.
“His record against southern hemisphere teams is also terrific. But he wants to understand this as much as anybody. It’s really important at this stage that we apply a bit of good old English calm, if you like. We have to react. You can’t just do nothing – and we won’t do nothing.
“But at the same time, it’s important we don’t overreact. Let’s just get this in context, let the dust settle for days rather than weeks, but we will kick off that debrief process. We won’t leave any stone unturned in terms of really understanding it.”
"The error was maybe not making an early realisation that some guys would just be off form through lack of rugby"https://t.co/1RsbcSPzZ2
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) March 23, 2021
Comments on RugbyPass
The Sharks’ 2nd team maybe?
1 Go to comments‘radical’
1 Go to commentsCome back to Christchurch Robbie, please!
1 Go to commentsI think there is zero chance Sam Cane will be selected for another Test. There is simply no point except sentimentality. Razor is not sentimental- ask Wyatt Crocket. Razor is a ruthless selector
4 Go to comments> It would be best described as an elegant solution to what was potentially going to be a significant problem for new All Blacks coach Scott Robertson. It is a problem the mad population of New Zealand will have to cope with more and more as All Blacks are able to continue their careers in NZ post RWCs. It will not be a problem for coaches, who are always going to start a campaign with the captain for the next WC in mind. > Cane, despite his warrior spirit, his undoubted commitment to every team he played for and unforgettable heroics against Ireland in last year’s World Cup quarter-final, was never unanimously admired or respected within New Zealand while he was in the role. Neither was McCaw, he was considered far too passive a captain and then out of form until his last world cup where everyone opinions changed, just like they would have if Cane had won the WC. > It was never easy to see where Cane, or even if, he would fit into Robertson’s squad given the new coach will want to be building a new-look team with 2027 in mind. > Cane will win his selections on merit and come the end of the year, he’ll sign off, he hopes, with 100 caps and maybe even, at last, universal public appreciation for what was a special career. No, he won’t. Those returning from Japan have already earned the right to retain their jersey, it’s in their contract. Cane would have been playing against England if he was ready, and found it very hard to keep his place. Perform, and they keep it however. Very easy to see where Cane could have fit, very hard to see how he could have accomplished it choosing this year as his sabbatical instead of 2025, and that’s how it played out (though I assume we now know what when NZR said they were allowing him to move his sabbatical forward and return to NZ next year, they had actually agreed to simply select him for the All Blacks from overseas, without any chance he was going to play in NZ again). With a mammoth season of 15 All Black games they might as well get some value out of his years contract, though even with him being of equal character to Richie, I don’t think they should guarantee him his 100 caps. That’s not what the All Blacks should be about. He absolutely has to play winning football.
4 Go to commentswhat’s happening to Ian Peel?
1 Go to commentsAs a Crusaders fan , so disappointed , again.But I think Fergus Burke was all class for the Crusaders in his first game since October last year. Fletcher Newell , was so good at prop. Johnny McNicoll has been gold since returning from Wales. Noah Hotham brilliant , in a coming of age second season for the Crusaders.Jone Rova did really well at centre. The end of the game was tough.Sevu Reece , what a game/season in tough times.
1 Go to commentsFellas a balloon
3 Go to commentsBlues B team on display and made no race of it. By far the best team in SR with the Hurricanes barely getting past the winning post. Up the Blues 💙
7 Go to commentsWould be amazing to have Servette Genève reaching this level
3 Go to commentsThe Crusaders can't buy a win this season. Surely Penney's contract won't be renewed. There's still enough talent in the squad that they oughta be winning more.
1 Go to commentsABs captain for 23 seasons. Decent record. Surely nobody will surpass it. Legend. But alas a typo…
4 Go to commentsJust FYI Rugbypass, I for one am tired of your clickbait titles and thumbnails and will be clicking them no longer. Good day.
1 Go to commentsI think Farrell despite all of the stick he gets in the media is still one of if not the best fly half in the world. He is literally the full package. He can kick one of the best in the world, probably has the best defensive game of a fly half in the world and if he wants to he can run, take contact and find an offload to keep the pace of the attack. I dont know why he isnt spoken more about still being one of the best in the world with the likes of dupont. Farrell is the ultimate captain and team leader and is experienced- he has been in nearly any situation you can think of. I still believe due to these reasons that he is England’s best ever player and is still one of the best players in the world.
48 Go to commentsBlues are dominating up front and that’s been a long time coming. They have won the up front confrontation which is where canes, hilanders and act brumbies are also strong.
7 Go to commentsJust watched brumbies v safas game sadly not a show in he’ll thryr anywhere near quarters or semi contention. Admittedly some issues around new comers bot what stands out for me is coaching management, poor game planning and accuracy.
5 Go to commentsOne tough SOB!
16 Go to commentsI’ve put on 4/5 kilos since the beginning of the season too. Not good kilos. Bad kilos.
7 Go to commentsSurely there’s a ‘no knobheads’ policy ?
3 Go to commentsWallaroos have no chance of beating the Black Ferns unless Canada upsets them in Christchurch tomorrow but I doubt that as well!
1 Go to comments