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What would the old Eddie Jones say about today's Eddie Jones and England? | Andy Bull
Coach’s constant tinkering has left England living on the promise of a bright future rather than winning the next game
Remember that night in Paris? This same March week in 2016, Eddie Jones’s England went there with the grand slam on the line. Of course they won it, beating France 31-21 thanks to fine tries from Danny Care, Dan Cole and Anthony Watson. Afterwards, James Haskell and Chris Robshaw were walking around the Stade de France in custom-made shirts with the number six-and-a-half on the back (a sly and affectionate dig at their coach after he told them they couldn’t play seven), while the Vunipola brothers belted out Backstreet Boys covers in the dressing room. It was the start of a party that stretched long into the next morning.
Looking back, it is still the happiest night the team have had since Jones took over. In that first year or so, he approached England’s rugby like a breeze blowing away fog. His ruthlessness made for a stark contrast with the muddled thinking his predecessor, Stuart Lancaster, had got bogged down in during the last year of his tenure as head coach.
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