England RWC winner backs Eddie Jones for 2023 World Cup

Mike Tindall believes Eddie Jones is the right man to take England to the next World Cup in 2023.

Jones led England to the final in Japan in November on the back of impressive victories over Australia and New Zealand, only to suffer a comprehensive 32-12 defeat at the hands of South Africa.

The 59-year-old Australian is contracted to remain England head coach until 2021 and the Rugby Football Union is expected to offer fresh terms that will take him to the next World Cup in France.

“When you look at where we were four years ago and where we are now, you’d say he’s done a great job,” World Cup winner Tindall, who is the patron of the Rugby For Heroes charity, told the PA news agency.

“He’s lost 10 games out of 51 which is pretty outstanding for an international coach and most of those defeats came in a slump when we had a lot of injuries and didn’t have what we would see as our first team out.

“If the players still like him and want to learn from him then of course he’s the right man for the job. I think he pushes them hard, he demands excellence from them and that’s what Clive (Woodward) did with us.

“You can see from performances like the Ireland Six Nations game, the Ireland warm-up game, the Wales at home warm-up game and obviously New Zealand and Australia, that when they get it right they are a phenomenal rugby team.

Bath could be set for quite a dunking as Saracens are going full metal jacket in the Premiership on Friday nighthttps://t.co/opQBIivyYb

— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) November 28, 2019

“All he’s got to work on now is seeing that’s there every game. That’s impossible to do because it’s the nature of the beast that not everyone’s going to have a good game every day, but that’s what you strive for.”

Changes have already been made in the England set-up with attack coach Scott Wisemantel and scrum coach Neal Hatley seeking pastures new.

But Tindall feels that could be a positive for the players going forward.

2003 World Cup-winning coach Clive Woodward wants to see rugby return to the days when it had far more 80-minute players on the fieldhttps://t.co/kLz8CUOqei

— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) November 28, 2019

“That environment for coaches is very high pressure with England and Eddie and how he works so that’s going to be the natural course of things, but new ideas are always a good thing,” Tindall added.

“Now it’s about scouring the planet to find the best attack coach that’s going to suit those players and push the team on. Scott’s done a great job so someone who can build on that can maybe push them to that consistency level… that’s all they’re lacking, that odd game.”

::: Rugby For Heroes patron Mike Tindall was speaking ahead of a remembrance dinner on board HMS Belfast. Rugby For Heroes is a charity which works with the rugby community to raise funds and awareness for military personnel who are making the transition to civilian life.