Why Eddie Jones Is Wrong to Stick Rather Than Twist with England Old Guard

By
at Internationaled.org

Published: February 3, 2016

commentComment        

The England rugby union team will open their latest new era on Saturday with a trip to Murrayfield, Scotland, where the result is perhaps more in the balance than it has been for a few years.

England arrive with no one sure of how much new head coach Eddie Jones' philosophy has sunk in since he gathered his squad together for the first time, while hosts Scotland show signs of a team ready to progress from the 2015 Rugby World Cup, where they came within a whisker of a semi-final place.

This could have been a chance for Jones to tear that underachieving English World Cup side to pieces. Instead, the team that was booted out of its own tournament at the earliest opportunity has hardly been changed at all.

Injury to Jonny May means there will be one alteration to the back three that was first choice under former head coach Stuart Lancaster, while the midfield will house players very much of the last era—although in the case of Owen Farrell, his selection at No. 12 was forced on Jones due to injuries to other options.



Jonathan Joseph will start outside him. The Bath man exploded onto the scene during the 2015 RBS Six Nations, but he was injured before he could make an impact in the World Cup. Since then, the name on everyone's lips as far as the No. 13 jersey goes has been Wasps' Elliot Daly.

He has been figuratively banging the door down all season, and yet he was sent back to his club last week and now makes it to Murrayfield only as a reserve. Former Bath and England prop David Flatman was confused, for one:



Danny Care and George Ford, World Cup bit-part players, are there on merit, as is Chris Robshaw, whose form for Harlequins has demanded his inclusion at No. 6, even if Jones no longer sees him as captain material.

Billy Vunipola is retained as first-choice No. 8 when Thomas Waldrom has been the best player in the English league, and newcomer Jo...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Rugby Union

Latest News


Comments

Comments are closed.

Sponsors

Bruins Tickets The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

Red Wings Tickets The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League.

Penguins Tickets The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

New York Rangers Tickets play their home games at Madison Square Garden, they are one of the oldest teams in the NHL, having joined in 1926 as an expansion franchise, and are part of the group of teams referred to as the Original Six.

San Jose Sharks Tickets The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California, United States.

Toronto Maple Leafs Tickets The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

New Jersey Devils Tickets The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

Washington Capitals Tickets The Washington Capitals are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C.

Buffalo Sabres Tickets The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League. Get the Sabres and all of your NHL Tickets here.

NASCAR season is on of the most attended sports in the world. NASCAR Tickets to the best tracks is a must every year. Some of these tracks are: Talladega Tickets, Lowes Motor Speedway Tickets, Pocono Raceway Tickets, located in Ridgeway Virginia you have Martinsville Speedway Tickets and southern US you have two of the most popular Atlanta Motor Speedway Tickets and Texas Motor Speedway Tickets. Don't miss all the racing events this year!

Boston Red Sox Tickets The Boston Red Sox are a member of the Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Since 1912, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park. This is one of the hottest MLB Tickets sales of any team in the major league.

New York Yankees Tickets The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the borough of the Bronx, in New York City, New York and are a member of Major League Baseball's American League East Division. Get tickets to one of the hottest games of the season Yankees Red Sox Tickets.

Chicago Cubs Tickets The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League.

Phillies Tickets The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883.

Orioles Tickets The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland.

Do you love wrestling? Get your WWE Tickets and WWE Survivor Series Tickets today!