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Eddie Jones inherited a downtrodden team and turned them into Six Nations champions. But match-ups with Southern Hemisphere sides will be the true test of England’s rugby resurgence, writes Martyn Thomas.
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Eddie Jones’ recent assessment of Chris Robshaw could be applied to the majority of his England squad. “To go from where he was at the end of the World Cup to where he is now,” the Australian coach mused, “has been a fine achievement.”
Indeed it has. England captain Robshaw and his team were forced to wear a considerable amount of flak as England became the first host nation to fall at the tournament’s pool stage.
“Disastrous” was the general consensus of a forgettable campaign while the BBC reasoned that Stuart Lancaster’s side had hit “a new rock bottom” as they bowed out after just 16 days.
Perceived problems were manifold, from the ill-fated dalliance with Sam Burgess, to a lack of bottle on the pitch and a muddled message off it. The prognosis for English rugby appeared gloomy.
However, less than six months later and with their first Six Nations title in five years safely secured, the grey skies that almost enveloped Twickenham have begun to brighten considerably.
Wales were dispatched in largely impressive fashion on Saturday as the national team secured the Six Nations title with a week to spare, thanks to Scotland’s defeat of France.
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Sandwiched in between events in London and Edinburgh, 14,811 fans watched Saracens beat London Irish in New Jersey, as the Aviva Premiership attempted to woo America.
And why wouldn’t they, at a time when the English domestic game is riding the crest of a wave?
The Premiership has provided five of this season’s eight European Champions Cup quarterfinalists with a further four English sides set to contest the same stage of the Challenge Cup.
It would be hyperbole in the extreme to suggest that Eddie Jones’ arrival in south-west London is the root cause for such success, but his appointment as England coach did help draw a line under last autumn’s events.
That much was crystal clear at Twickenham as Wales were overwhelmed in the first 60 minutes, their much-vaunted defence missing 19 tackles in the first half alone.
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Under Stuart Lancaster, England had a propensity to wilt under the pressure of big games and play within themselves. On the evidence of the Six Nations, that is not the case under his successor.
Jones has instilled an edge to their play that had been lacking. His decision to make Dylan Hartley captain could have backfired, but has instead been inspired, with the controversial hooker providing both the leadership and bite his Australian boss desired.
Unburdened by the pressure of captaincy, and moved across the back-row to the blindside, Hartley’s predecessor as skipper, Chris Robshaw, has also been a key component of England’s success.
Robshaw’s form and influence on the squad has been described as “absolutely outstanding” and “colossal” by Jones.
But it was another member of the pack who shone brightest against Wales. Maro Itoje (pictured) is 21 and was winning only his third cap, yet belied his inexperience with a faultless first 40 minutes that showcased his abilities in both attack and defence.
The Saracens man, who Jones wishes to “turn into a BMW” possesses a skill set not always associated with northern hemisphere forwards. His incredible potential has led Sir Clive Woodward to earmark him as a future captain.
But the 21-year-old is not the only young tyro that has been given opportunity under the new regime. Jack Clifford, Elliot Daly and Paul Hill have all made their debuts during this year’s championship, while Henry Slade would have been involved had he not broken his leg.
Jones has so far selected on form, not reputation, giving players up and down the country the belief they will be selected if they play well.
The bulk of the squad might be the same as the one that took the field at the World Cup but the tweaks Jones has made – making Hartley captain, switching Robshaw to No.6, bringing in Itoje – have been key to changing the dynamics of the side.
But Jones is well aware his job has only just begun.
Completing a clean sweep is the first task in hand. “We set out at the start of the year to be the most dominant side in Europe and to do that we have to win the Grand Slam,” Jones said on Monday.
A first English Grand Slam since 2003 would be well received at Twickenham, but it is just a start. His biggest test awaits at home, where Australia welcome England this summer.
The Wallabies put the final nail in Lancaster’s coffin – are England better equipped to prevail Down Under with Jones at the helm?
On paper, yes. But for all of the progress made over the last few weeks England still have weaknesses. Jones has not been able to magic up an openside flanker to worry Southern Hemisphere sides, while George Ford’s form at fly-half remains a concern.
Jones does have a large pool of extremely talented players to choose from but how many of them are world class? The man himself would have you believe none.
Billy Vunipola, Manu Tuilagi – who returned from injury against Wales – and Itoje have the potential to attain that status, and they will learn much from matches in the Wallabies’ backyard.
But Jones is right to plead caution; after all his mission is to win the 2019 World Cup, not the 2016 Grand Slam.
He will discover how tall a task may prove when the first test kicks off in Brisbane this June.
