England rugby: Eddie Jones begs fans to accept defeat but that is unacceptable – COMMENT

Traditionally, the English have a grossly overinflated sense of importance. It is probably a result of imperialism: when the sun never set on the British Empire, it wasn’t unreasonable for British citizens to believe that their country and government were major players on the world stage. These days, it seems more unrealistic.

But in rugby, that sense of self-importance is significantly less misplaced; as James Haskell pointed out in his pre-match interview, it is perpetuated by the insistence of all other Six Nations sides – bar Italy – that beating England is the most important thing.

And when you look at it impartially, it’s easy to see why. England have more than two million registered players, more than three times the next closest nation (South Africa) and nearly seven times more than the nearest Six Nations side: France.

Add to that the RFU’s annual revenue of a mammoth £184.9million in the 2016/17 season as well as one of the biggest, most lucrative rugby stadiums in the world and we can be fairly certain that England are rightly up there to be shot at.

So when the Red Rose loses – and it is a rare occasion in the professional era – there is something of an inquest. Even when they win but not well, the Sunday newspapers are filled with hand-wringing and witch-hunting. So when they lose three times in a row, you can expect the mother, father and estranged uncle of inquiries.

But Jones, whose own press conference stylings have become increasingly prickly in recent weeks, seems hesitant to rip up the rulebook that has guided him to so much success.

“You never really find out about yourself until, and every team that I’ve ever had that’s been a champion team has had, a run like this which has been instrumental in the making of the team,” Jones said tonight.

He added: “I’ve coached long enough to know you have these runs. Sometimes you get out of them quick and sometimes you it takes a bit longer.

“At the moment, we’re in a position where it’s gone on three games. It’s not nice. But it’s part of the process of being a better team. We’ve learned a lot about ourselves in the tournament.

“We’ve learned a lot about the team, we’ve learned a lot about how we need to develop our game which is important. It’s part of the process of being a better team.”

What Jones perhaps underestimates is the ferocity that he could face if England don’t go to South Africa this summer and win 3-0. It would seem ludicrous to sack a coach just 12 months out from a World Cup, but a couple of Test defeats in June will no doubt have a few starting to wonder if the axe is being sharpened. Even the prospect of a repeat of the 2015 debacle is that unpalatable.

Jones of course is not outwardly panicking – yet.

“There’s nothing that stands out that we massively need to fix,” he says.

“There’s a number of things that are ongoing. We’ve talked about leadership density, having more leaders on the field. That’s a slow burner. You’ve got to build that, and keep working on it. That’s really important for us.

“We’ve had a slight fix in the breakdown this week but Ireland didn’t contest possibly as the previous two teams did so we’re not sure whether we’ve fixed that. And as always, selection.”

He doesn’t want to drop players though, and he snapped at the journalist who suggested that he had said he would.

“Some guys have come in and done really well, other guys are maybe going to struggle to participate in the future” were the actual words Jones used. It’s euphemistic, but it’s clear what he means: some of the new players are not good enough for Test match rugby.

One of those would seem to be Sam Simmonds, the third-choice No 8 who filled in for Billy Vunipola and Nathan Hughes against Ireland. An openside flanker at Exeter, he looked lightweight in comparison opposite number CJ Stander, unsurprising for a No 7 known for his acceleration and speed.

But England, or so one of rugby’s most forensic pundits Sir Ian McGeechan claims, don’t produce great openside flankers. Well if Simmonds is one of them, then he’s probably better off playing there. It would be unfair for Jones, whose current No 7 James Haskell does not look like the answer not matter what the question, to dispense with him. But that is just one of the many questions the Australian faces in the coming weeks and months.

The breakdown problem is the obvious one though and not a simple one to solve. Scotland and France both dominated that area against England and both in very different ways. John Barclay and co made them look slow and cumbersome while France bullied them with size. Both exploited the referee’s interpretation too, which is indicative of yet another issue England have: tactical rigidity on the field.

Jones is rigid too, telling the press after the Scotland defeat that this is how England play rugby, that he only had them 13 weeks a year and that wasn’t enough time to deal with the fact that they are not athletic enough: a union that turns over £200m, not producing athletic enough rugby players. At best, it seems unlikely. At worst, it is Jones being short-sighted.

Irrespective of which reading of his remarks you take, the issue remains the same. An acceptance of defeat, no matter how noble and philosophical it might be, will not continue to butter everyone’s parsnips for much longer. All of a sudden, there are a lot of negatives in a team that looked like world-beaters less than 12 months ago. Rugby seems to have caught them up and now overtaken them.

Jones, in a seemingly vain effort to preempt the revolution, says he has “added weight” to his players’ backs and minds to make them a better team. They had better learn to bear it quickly.