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Marcus Smith's England is bigger than Eddie Jones and he must change

Marcus Smith and Eddie Jones /PA

Normally Amazon delivers. An impatient rap on the door and there it is; whatever you’ve ordered, on your mat. The screech of the transit van’s wheels decree they couldn’t stay for long. There’s elsewhere to be; it’s a big job.

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So is playing rugby for England. Not that young Marcus seems to care. As the budding maestro trundled out first onto the Twickenham pitch to warm up, the risible comments from his new boss still had an embers’ glow. Distractions? This boy does anything but. He went Premiership Trophy, England debut, then British and Irish Lions Tour this summer, without so much as a wink at the camera. Alas Mr Jones, Mr Smith you know not. Some sequins were born to shine.

Not that they really got the chance to flaunt him. Smith tiptoed around the Twickenham turf too far from the tiller. Against an impotent Australian side, he should have been more central; given more rope. As it was, he seldom skipped. He ran a couple of trademark arcs, double pumped a wide hole for Steward to hit but in the main, was a line removed from any real mischief: shame. You wonder what could have been done.

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Morné Steyn | All Access | Why he will be remembered as one of the best Springbok rugby players ever
RugbyPass was lucky enough to speak to one. of the legends of Springbok Rugby. Steyn spoke openly about his rugby career, as well as his experiences of both the 2009 and 2021 Lions Seres.
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    Morné Steyn | All Access | Why he will be remembered as one of the best Springbok rugby players ever

    But why is this? Why do things feel as though they aren’t quite right? My theory revolves around control.

    It won’t take you long to find a story on Eddie Jones and his control issues. His incredible hunger for detail and planning – he barely sleeps in his pursuit of covering every eventuality; the fear that he creates to manipulate and position his team to further greatness; his inability to allow others to feel autonomy, means high levels of staff turnover.

    But in opposition to this is a brilliant, arguably unique, rugby brain. There is no one quite like Eddie Jones in terms of game knowledge. He gives those around him a great deal; players, fellow coaches, support staff recognise that the gift of the Australian is in the content, rather than the delivery. A training session with Jones is a terrifying prospect, but if you can navigate it, the rewards are vast.

    Jones has his own ideas about how things work. And Yokohama was something of a magnum opus. He has seemingly retreated there in many ways, his reliance on the legacy of certain players, but not even Jones can stop time. The ticking clock brings Generation Marcus: a player bigger than Jones himself. He brings a new way of thinking about England and, at the moment, Jones is not yet there.

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    So, we find ourselves in a period of huge struggle. One that does not exist anywhere else than within the six inches of the Tasmanian’s brain. My guess is that Jones will progress and once he has come to terms with the sort of player Smith is, England will benefit. In the meantime, the watching public will have to endure the sort of performances that took place yesterday. Ones that do a job but fail to leave us satisfied.

    Societies and communities exist along an axis of freedom and control. Under Jones, England Rugby sits quite tight to one end. Smith’s greatness, and it is already a ‘greatness’, positions itself much closer to freedom. This period of transition will be fascinating. For all Smith’s achievements to date, he mustn’t get distracted from his greatest challenge; changing and developing Mr Jones’ incredible rugby mind.

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    C
    CO 25 minutes ago
    Are other All Blacks better suited to number six than Tupou Vaa'i?

    Some Bok supporters might argue in vain but Vaa’i is the model that superseded the previous model known as the Pieter-Steph du Toit.


    Hansen's pack got beaten to a pulp in 2019 by the English pack and it would've made zero difference who started at six.


    Believing that Scooter starting at six was because they lost that semifinal ignores the reality that Hansen had overstayed his welcome as head coach and having effectively lost the Lions tour and become besotted with SBW should've been fired in 2017 and replaced with any one of Rennie, Schmidt or Joseph.


    Both Nonu and Kaino should've been in that 2019 squad. Proven world cup final starters.


    Frizzell is never getting the six jersey, he had a shocker of a world cup final and is yesterday's man dining out on one good performance against the Bok B team at Mt Smart. Frizzell is a myth.


    The Allblacks current pack needs to bulk up due to it having a lot of small back rowers and no, Finau is not good enough to start, he's not direct enough or punishing enough.


    The Allblacks need to stop anointing Sititi as the greatest thing since sliced bread, he's done very little this year, Christian is looking very solid at eight and seven is Saveas best spot to keep Christian starting.


    Rassie is using loosies at hooker and so should the Allblacks. Playing Vaa’i at six isn't three locks, it's ensuring size to counter the other tier one packs and Vaa'i is fantastic at six.


    Kirifi is okay but again hasn't done much and is too little, Lakai and Kirifi shouldn't be in the squad together.

    123 Go to comments
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    LONG READ 'Can we all stop moaning about the Lions, please?' 'Can we all stop moaning about the Lions, please?'