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Jones strenuously defends under-fire Farrell, insisting England are not in any slump
Eddie Jones has launched a strenuous defence of England skipper Owen Farrell, adding that accusations claiming his team are potentially in a 2018-like slump are something he won’t consider on the back of a single Guinness Six Nations defeat. England finished fifth in 2018 when last defending a Six Nations title, their three championship losses to Scotland, France and Ireland getting followed by two more defeats on tour in South Africa.
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However, Jones refused to indulge in any then and now comparisons, while he also unequivocally backing England captain Farrell whose poor display in last weekend’s 11-6 loss to Scotland ignited a firestorm of criticism and sparked multiple calls that he should be dropped for next Saturday’s round two match versus Italy.
“Every player is up for selection and it is all dependant on form,” said Jones when asked how he goes about selection. “You look at historical form, you look at present form and you try to make the right decisions for the team – and Owen is no different from any other player.
“He has been a highly consistent, highly successful player for us. Like a number of players on Saturday, he wasn’t at his best. I know there is a bandwagon, but he is an outstanding player and like any outstanding player they can have a game where they are not at their best. Is that a reason to drop the player? I wouldn’t think so.
“There is no set law or rule for that,” added Jones when asked if an England team captain gets treated any differently than say a less experienced player. “We are always trying to make the right assessment. We had to go through a difficult stage with Dylan (Hartley) when his form was starting to tail off.
The Sunday columns have torn strips off England's performance #sixnations https://t.co/W3dVDPJLo5
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) February 7, 2021
“We gave him an amount of time to try to pick up his form but due to injury and a number of other circumstances it just wasn’t right for the team and it’s the same for anyone who is the captain of the side, they have got to keep performing at a high level. But having one game where they are not at the level that is expected is not a reason to start speculating on whether he is going to be dropped or not.
“You guys [the media] must have a new thesaurus because I always thought slump was having three or four bad games and it now must be one game, is it? I’m just trying to get some definition about your use of slump. I’m not prepared to talk about a slump.”
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Jones’ refusal to indulge use of the S-word regarding Farrell extended to an invitation he was given to compare the situation England are currently in and what they experienced in 2018, their poorest Six Nations campaign ever under the Australian.
“I can’t,” he replied. “Because it is not the same situation. It’s completely different… when did I say we were in a slump? 2018? So when did I say it was a slump? How many games were we in? That was possibly after we played three or four bad games. So we have played one bad game. How can I compare this situation with 2018? You are inviting me to make comparisons on two different situations.
“I am always disappointed when we don’t play well. I want the team to play to its absolute full potential and you never know what the potential is of a team. No team has ever played the perfect game of rugby so very disappointed but the players were equally as disappointed.
“The one thing about this group of players is they are an honest, hard-working, committed group of players and they were massively disappointed as were the coaching staff, so we share the disappointment.”
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Jones has recalled the suspension-free Kyle Sinckler and the injury-free Mako Vunipola to his 28-man squad for their Italian job, releasing Harry Williams, who featured off the bench against Scotland, and the uncapped Tom West back to their club.
"The Saracens players weren't at the races"
– Ex-Scotland coach gets stuck into England's Sarries contingent on Irish TV ?#ENGvSCO #SixNations
https://t.co/8xn0cuUTvO— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) February 6, 2021
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> 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.
2 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 💙
5 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…
2 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.
5 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.
5 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 commentsWhat a joke. Could the victim do a course to reverse the long term CTE damage from the cheapshot?
2 Go to commentsTruely great player. In social media and opinion pieces he was held up and flogged for the results. People wanted someone to crucify, and he was the captain. He was still an immense presence respected by his peers. His battles with Siya Kolisi belong up with with Collins vs Burger in my opinion. Unlucky to be carded in the final, but I don’t agree that his red card was the defining moment. Not when you look at the dominant performances of the Springboks (PSDT in particular.) I think Cane should be remembered for the spirit and physicality that is special to test rugby.
16 Go to commentsSam was the man until he got injured .
16 Go to comments_Crusaders versus Leinster _at the moment might be a rout! But I would like to see the Blues play Toulouse, the Hurricanes front up against Stade Francais, and the Chiefs go against Toulon.
157 Go to comments