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Eddie Jones drops some big clues as to who his new attack coach is
Eddie Jones has confirmed he will appoint an attack coach for England’s tour of South Africa and says he has “the right person” lined up.
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England lost three matches in a row to miss out on a third consecutive Six Nations title, finishing down in fifth place.
Jones’ side slipped a spot to third in the rankings after Ireland’s Grand Slam triumph and they will attempt to put a poor tournament behind them by securing a Test series victory over the Springboks next month.
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The Australian revealed he has turned to a familiar face to join his coaching set-up for the tour and fill the void left by Rory Teague’s departure to Bordeaux last year.
“Certainly we need to bring in another coach to help with the attack,” the England head coach told BBC Sport.
“We are looking to take another coach on tour, and I’ve got the right person for this tour.
“When the time is right we will announce it. It’s certainly someone I have worked with before.”
Jones added that the backs coach is unlikely to remain in the role beyond a three-match series with South Africa.
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“It has always been the case that we are looking for the right coach and when I can find the right coach who is available I will bring him on to the staff,” he said.
Meanwhile former England headcoach Martin Johnson said he is “worried” by the lack of depth in English rugby ahead of a potential call-up for Hurricanes captain Brad Shields.
While born in New Zealand, the loose forward qualifies for England through his parents and could be fast-tracked into Eddie Jones’ squad for the tour to South Africa in June.
New Zealand Rugby chief executive Stew Tew confirmed last month that Shields – who will join Wasps at the end of the Super Rugby season – had requested an early release from his contract, paving the way for him to play international rugby for his adopted homeland.
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Jones is without a host of key players for the three-Test series, with Dylan Hartley, Courtney Lawes, George Kruis, Nathan Hughes, Jonathan Joseph and Anthony Watson all ruled out through injury.
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Yet Johnson, who captained England to World Cup glory in 2003 before later coaching the national team, feels Shields’ selection would only demonstrate the lack of homegrown talent available.
“This has been coming for a while. Eddie’s doing it because he obviously doesn’t think he’s got enough talent in England,” Johnson said in an interview with the Times.
“It doesn’t offend me. It is worrying that he doesn’t think the players are in this country. We should be producing the players to have an international squad and be able to cover the natural unavailability. We don’t seem to have that depth at the moment.
“Guys like Sam Simmonds, Sam Underhill – get in and get injured. You want to see those guys. South Africa will be great for them if they can go and play there.
“I have been worried a while – where are the next players? If you have a team that’s going well and they play until they are quite old, by definition, the next generation are not coming through, not getting a chance.
“I’m sure some people would say they are but that they are not getting a chance to play because the Premiership clubs are just bringing in foreign players.”
