Twitter reacts: Weary England fans aren't buying Eddie's latest scapegoat

Eddie Jones has faced some heavy criticism from fans on Twitter after blaming England’s 2015 World Cup exit for their current mental fragilities.

The head coach is seeking to bring in an expert to help, as many feel that surrendering a 31 point lead to Scotland at the weekend was the final straw.

Jones has been widely lambasted by fans, as this is becoming an all too common theme for England rugby. During the summer tour of South Africa, England blew a 21 point lead in the first test, and suffered a similar loss in the second test. In the Autumn, Jones men also lost to the All Blacks after leading at half time. Finally, England failed to beat both Wales and Scotland despite leading at the break. In their defence, they were also down against South Africa in the first Autumn test, but showed the mental fortitude to fight back.

England infamously failed to exit the pool stage at the World Cup, losing to Wales and Australia in their group, again losing to Warren Gatland’s men from a winning position.

This, Jones believes, has left a mental scar on the team.
Many fans have also argued how less than half the players who started in the World Cup in 2015 were playing last weekend. While that is true, that does not mean that Jones is incorrect. For instance, the All Blacks struggled to fight off the ‘chokers’ tag at World Cups, which oversaw a number of generations of players.

One of the main criticisms surrounding Jones’ comments, however, is the timing. Many fans feel that Jones has had four years to address these problems, and has left it very late with only six months to go before the World Cup. This is what the fans are saying:

https://twitter.com/lukestokes84/status/1107412799129640960
https://twitter.com/60degree/status/1107402893710319618
https://twitter.com/J5KERN/status/1107406449917992960
https://twitter.com/Rice0211A/status/1107566071849107456
https://twitter.com/cc_rap23/status/1107538481721409537
https://twitter.com/Rhino_Phillips/status/1107558396574732288

4 years too late Fast Eddie

— Goony#2 (@Neil36314107) March 18, 2019

Sports psychologists are commonplace amongst professional teams, and it has surprised some on Twitter that England are not already using one. The All Blacks have hugely benefited from a psychologist, with Dan Carter being a major exponent of the help that they can provide.

While this would undoubtedly benefit England, many fans feel that Jones has to take a lot of responsibility himself. English fans, as well as those from rival nations, feel that these are just more excuses from the fromer Japan boss, and he is partly responsible for these frequent slip-ups.

https://twitter.com/tjjodmill117/status/1107023089144135682
https://twitter.com/gav21011/status/1107213527679451136
https://twitter.com/Gemma_Dorling/status/1107592977080303617
https://twitter.com/22Larkhill/status/1107019022762168321
https://twitter.com/frazernh/status/1107535687765639168

Ah Eddie Jones, always the man behind the wins, never the man behind the losses.

— MarcB (@555Husker) March 18, 2019

Although some fans are calling for Jones to step down, he feels that the issue will be resolved come the World Cup. There is no doubting his credentials as a manager, and his 18-match winning streak proves that, but a growing number of fans are asking questions of him.