Eddie Jones: RFU to blame for England's poor form, says Australia head coach

1 year ago 25

England players look dejected pursuing their 30-22 decision by Fiji

England's mediocre signifier is down to the RFU not producing capable prime players, says Australia caput manager Eddie Jones.

England mislaid to Fiji for the archetypal clip last week - their 3rd decision successful 4 earlier adjacent week's World Cup successful France.

Head manager Steve Borthwick has faced criticism, but erstwhile brag Jones says the blasted lies elsewhere.

"The results of England implicit the past 5 years... they're not producing prime players," Jones told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

"And truthful everyone looks astatine the caput coach, and [says] 'let's blasted the caput coach'. But the onus connected producing prime players is the RFU. And that hasn't happened.

"You've got to look astatine wherefore you're not bringing endowment through, past you've got to look astatine wherefore your endowment improvement systems are not doing that.

"The system's not right. What needs to change? Where's the gap? That's the work of the RFU."

Borthwick has lone won 3 games retired of a imaginable 9 since taking complaint erstwhile Jones was sacked successful December.

Jones near aft a dismal twelvemonth of results, with lone 5 wins from 12 Tests successful 2022.

Following decision by Fiji, Borthwick said helium had "no doubt" his broadside would marque progress, portion World Cup victor Jason Robinson said England could emulate the 2007 side and scope the final, contempt mediocre form.

But BBC Sport pundit Matt Dawson - different World Cup victor - said England "do not person a prayer" of winning the tournament.

'Some players inactive uncovering their feet'

Jones says Borthwick is successful a "difficult situation", adding: "You've got an ageing team. Anyone who knows thing astir athletics tin spot that and past you've got caller players coming in.

"Some of them person travel done and done truly well, similar a Freddie Steward, others are inactive uncovering their feet, similar a Marcus Smith."

England's warm-up run has besides been underpinned by subject issues, alongside their mediocre form.

Captain Owen Farrell and Billy Vunipola, the lone specializer fig 8 successful the squad, are serving bans for precocious tackles which volition spot them some miss the World Cup opener with Argentina connected 9 September.

Farrell and Vunipola person received disapproval for the unsafe quality of the tackles, but Jones has defended the pair.

"They each care. Billy cares astir his game; cares astir his team; cares astir his nation. As does Owen. Sometimes successful a crippled actions are inappropriate to the situation. And there's a effect for it," Jones said.

"That concern conscionable happens wherever they marque a judgement mistake and decision-making mistake. They conscionable cipher the concern wrong. And arsenic a consequence, they get punished for it."

'Australia World Cup chances fantastic'

Like England, Australia are heading into the World Cup successful atrocious signifier having mislaid each 5 games nether Jones since his assignment successful January.

The Wallabies suffered a 41-17 decision to France past week successful their last warm-up crippled earlier their World Cup opener against Georgia connected Saturday.

Despite the side's struggles, Jones says their chances of winning the World Cup are "fantastic".

"No 1 thinks we tin win, which is simply a large concern to beryllium in," said Jones. "If I look astatine each the teams successful the World Cup, astir teams are astatine the extremity of their cycle.

"Look astatine the Irish team, a precise bully team, but a batch of players astatine the extremity of their careers. New Zealand are the aforesaid [and] South Africa to a larger extent. Those teams, portion they tin grow, they can't turn arsenic rapidly arsenic we can.

"I've got a just spot of optimism astir what we tin do. You request things to spell right, and you request a spot of luck. But we enactment hard enough. We'll make capable bully luck and past you don't cognize wherever we tin go."

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