Eddie Jones: England rookies can force their way into my World Cup plans

PA
Adam Hathaway31 May 2018

Eddie Jones has urged the rookies on England’s upcoming tour of South Africa to follow the example of Harlequins prop Kyle Sinckler and propel themselves into the big time a year out from the World Cup.

Jones’s England squad fly out on Saturday for a three-Test series against a rejuvenated Springbok side, with internationals in Johannesburg, Bloemfontein and Cape Town.

Two years ago, Jones took Sinckler and another young prop, Leicester’s Ellis Genge, to Australia.

The pair did not make a Test appearance between them in the 3-0 whitewash of the Wallabies.

But they have blossomed since, with Sinckler winning 10 England caps and playing three Tests off the bench for the Lions in New Zealand last year, while Genge has won five caps — including two starts — on England’s tour of Argentina last June.

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Jones now wants Exeter lock Jonny Hill and Saracens duo Ben Earl and Nathan Earle to do the same and become established Test players.

“Look at what Genge and Sinckler have done since,” said Jones. “They have made themselves into guys who are always being considered for the 23. One has gone on the Lions tour.

“We have got a couple of young guys in the pack in Jonny Hill and Ben Earl who haven’t played a massive amount of top-level rugby, so it is a great opportunity for those guys.

“In the backline, we have got Nathan Earle, who is on his second tour and again has played less than 10 Premiership games.”

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England were embarrassed by the Barbarians at Twickenham on Sunday, conceding nine tries to the invitational side in a 63-45 defeat.

But the squad have been boosted this week by the arrival of 10 Premiership-winning Saracens men and five players from runners-up Exeter, who played in Saturday’s final.

Saracens fly-half Owen Farrell is captain for the tour in the absence of Dylan Hartley, and Jones says the new arrivals have given the squad a much-needed shot in the arm.

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“[The Saracens players] are pretty happy,” he said. “The Exeter lads are not too depressed. They are disappointed but they have moved on. They finished ahead of 10 other teams, which is a fair achievement.

“The reality is we have 15 of the best players in the land coming back into the team, so there is a great deal of positivity and excitement about those guys joining us. We have a new captain and it is a chance for him to put his mark on the team.”

Jones has had Vincent Walsh, a Professor of Human Brain Research in the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience at University College London, into camp and the academic is set to return this week.

Jones contacted him on the recommendation of another Australian, the former GB national swimming coach Bill Sweetenham, and he is talking to the coaching staff to help them get their message through to the squad.

Jones, a former teacher himself, said: “We are teachers. The only difference is our players don’t sit through exams, they sit through Test matches.

“It is our ability to express information and making it meaningful to the players that counts.

“We are changing behaviours. We are not teaching them how to play rugby. They know how to play rugby. We are trying to change behaviour, so it is learning about how humans operate.”

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