Eddie Jones (5)

England played their final in the semi-final as Warren Gatland pointed out at the time. The mental fall-off in the final was to be expected though a great pity & with benefit of hindsight, etc., different tactics might have been applied. SA, who played the world's most god-awful rugby, nonetheless deserved to win on the day, soft route to the final notwithstanding and tbh you'd need a heart of stone not to be heartened by seeing Kolisi as SA captain. How things *do* change. What Word Rugby does need to do is address the issue of size. Smaller players are quite literally being muscled out of the game and that is not healthy (in any way).

The change you've spotted in the behaviour of English teams is largely down to (finally) understanding the modern game that’s mainly due to Eddie Jones work in the Saracens and English Rugger team: to succeed teams need to have all-round capability and to have a culture which can bring together and bind players into a common set of beliefs and faith in their disparate strengths and outcomes. The great sides of World Rugby - South Africa and New Zealand - have those qualities at their core. The issue for English sides and sportsmen and women has always been how that culture is to be constructed. Coming from a country which does not have a positive attitude towards itself, and which seems more interested in disassembling structures and apologising for the past it has always been difficult to find a route to commonality. That's why there has always been such a focus on technocracy - Clive Woodward's whiteboard acronyms, Brailsford's marginal gains - and while this has a role it has been refreshing to find England sides in many sports finding an unembarrassed, unapologetic, unencumbered way to be positive about representing the country.

I can only really speak for England and refer to the underachievement of 2004 to 2015 and unequivocally say that someone like Gatland would have done better, won 2 or 3 more 6 nations, found a way of playing that would maximise our talents. There was just enough talent to go for a defense and scrum first team that was hard to beat. That said there are 2 qualifiers. Firstly EJ was lucky to come on board just as the Aviva Prem began to prove it could produce International class youngsters and as Sarries went into Galactico phase. Secondly up to 2011 at least I think his successors were hampered because Woodward had left the cupboard bare, had no thought to succession and ridden a great team to a point where they all retired together. So I would say it would be interesting to see how an English coach like Baxter would do with an elite crop of players. However I think the RFU will be loath to take a chance and will go for the instant success someone like Jones offers. Final word; Greenwood, the guy has absolutely no coaching experience why even mention him. Hate it when Media darlings get shamelessly pushed out there, there are plenty of coaches out there with experience who are more than qualified, harrumph!

There are plenty of people in New Zealand who could put their hands up for fast tracking to All Black coach. I am sure there are in England too, for their team. There are so many Kiwis managing other countries too, who could be seen as an apprenticeship for the job. I was surprised when we first put a Kiwi in charge of Aussie, but an Aussie in charge of England... that was an eye opener. I could be cheeky and say we could have a Kiwi in charge of England too (we already have one in the England coaching team) and he'd be good for managing the Kiwis in the squad... ahah But England certainly do have many contenders who could put a fresh spin on the job. No more imports for coaches or players should be the end goal here, you have a smashing rugby playing nation and talent everywhere.

Jones’ England played one absolutely exceptional game in 2 years. You have to assume the kiwis eeked that out of them. The long term trend was however, sadly, seen in the final when they were poor and lacked cohesion and intensity. One mark of a great leader is consistency. Jones’ England lack that, Gatland’s Wales showed it. Gatland knew England couldn’t do it for two games on the bounce.

This was the best ever assembled England Rugby squad, we were reliably told 'the best prepared', and "we've been preparing of this match for four years" said Eddie Jones. Only the day before Jones was insistent that they were ready... but clearly they weren't were they? Despite the fact England had swept aside a much improved Wallabies in the quarter-finals, humbled in no uncertain terms a hugely talented World Champion All Black side in the semis, with a breath-taking display of control and verve, all they were required to do in the final was to take on a predictable bish-bash-bosh outfit from South Africa, who only know one dimension of how to play the game. But they failed, and they failed miserably. They were never in the game, never looked like scoring, let alone winning. Didn't succeed in even getting over the try line. If they had played just half as well against the Springboks as they had the previous Saturday they would have walked it! If the one objective for employing Eddie Jones was to win the World Cup it hasn't worked - presumably he'll do the decent thing now.

Hansen had no answer to England, and Eddie no answer to the Boks, you can only prepare so much, and what happens on the day happens. The issue for the All Blacks was definitely an inexperienced back line, which the English targeted all day, and equally the Boks targeted the young English forwards and backs, who shone against the AB's but were shadowed by the Boks. Let's remember that you play as well as the other team lets you. South Africa blotted England out of the game in much the same way that England blotted out New Zealand.

As for the future, I think if I were picking a World XV after this World Cup, two of the first players in would be Itoje and Underhill, who were tremendous throughout the tournament. So that's a pretty good start, looking ahead. Ford and Farrell do what they do, and the wings are good. What's missing, in my view, is penetration in the centre. Very few teams actually look to break the line here anymore - the focus is on having bulldozers who bend the defensive line rather than runners who pierce it. But if there were an English centre who could make even a half break to create space for the men outside, then you'd have quite a side.

It's hard to let go of players with great records of service and exceptional play. But the sooner it's recognised that they're just passed their peak, the better it will be for introducing new players. In particular, it could be time to let go of Farrell (if you have a four-year outlook) sooner rather than later. Still brilliant, but . . .

The way Kolbe side-stepped him was a thing to behold, particularly given his late-tackling ways against us. Not directly relevant here, but it was also fascinating to listen to experienced coaches speak about what sport psychologists say about defending while under a penalty advantage. It's apparently incredibly difficult mentally to keep defending to the fullest knowing that you've got a penalty coming against you. Will England survive the impending implosion of Saracens? Can't help but feel that without the Saracens core England might not be all that.

NB: Sinckler is getting a lot of stick for the medal thing, but he is a hot head, and he probably feels that he didn't even play.... They rest not so excusable.

As for the next RWC? This core will be there, but so too will a core of SA and NZ, but they will be forced to blood new players at a rate England might not need to, which means that they are not as likely to be faced with older players breaking down come next RWC. Plenty of retirements by 30. It would be unwise to not cast the net out (which will be harder to do, as expectations are much higher now). Whilst England played some good games at the RWC, their form was hard to assess, given the rather low key group games and the loss of France. The Aussies haven't beaten us in ages (2015?) and so the key match was the NZ game in many ways - where England showed what they had threatened to do - play at potential for 80.

Regardless - looking over the longer period - the areas of concern in the 6Ns and even in SA last year, are still the same ones. My list is Daly at 15, Youngs and 9 cover, who should play 10/12 and a game plan that looked to Billy perhaps too much too often. Jones was a little late in altering the squad, for me, in 2018 (look at some of the 6Ns selections...) but did make the side play at potential, just not for a whole game very often until now. But - agree or not with that, it’s all water under the bridge. Refreshing a team is very hard, even for the best, as football teams have shown many times. Jones has been very hard on players, coaches/backroom (over 20 changed) and indeed the finances! If he pulls it off, if will be quite an achievement, as it’s not the technical side so much for me, as the mental side of having a team that if on top is virtually unstoppable, but can "go gormless" for whatever reason far too easily.

Whatever we might think, it will be more than interesting to watch.

Meaning is where you find it. Sport is no less important than art or music. None of them literally put food on the table, but can feed the soul. None are enough on their own, but we're much poorer for the absence of any one. Far from being sad, enjoying sport, or art or music, goes to leading a richer, likely happier, life. Folks have preference s on the balance. I'm sure England's loss in the RWC final will be picked over for months and there are, as they say, lessons to be learned. But this team bears no comparison to the disorganised and lacklustre team that shambled out at the pool stage four years ago and for that, Eddie Jones and his team, along with the players past and present (that's you, Chris Robshaw) deserve enormous credit for the way they came together and rebuilt. More importantly, I hope there's a structure and a legacy that will sustain English rugby in the same way that New Zealand is consistently excellent (and I want a pony for Christmas I can hear you saying…)..

NB: I always thought this was a World Cup too soon for England when you look at their ability to self-destruct over the past year. Anyone who watched them in the 6 Nations wasn’t massively surprised by the result against SA. I have massive hope though, the bulk of the players will be round for the next 4 years and the Aviva Prem has shown itself capable of producing top class youngsters. A few niggling doubts; no depth at scrum half, will England ride the same crop of players through to retirement a la 2003? Is inability to adapt a cultural issue? Although it might sound strange I am hoping that France turn the corner and turn the 6 Nations into a proper 4 way scrap so that England have that constant yearly challenge. In any case England are only an inch away from greatness if they can make their scrum scary and can fix the tendency to freeze. If EJ quits then they will also need someone who relishes feeding young players in, don’t rush them but don’t stifle them either.… (altro)