As Eddie Jones plots the second instalment of his side’s Six Nations programme against France at Twickenham on Sunday, he has deleted a recording of the victory against Ireland, which was probably his greatest triumph since he took over at the end of 2015. As they say in the head coach’s native Australia, “a rooster one day, a feather duster the next”.
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England were not burdened by expectation in Dublin but they are overwhelming favourites against France, who have not won at Twickenham since 2005 and whose last away victory in the Six Nations outside Rome or Edinburgh was in Dublin eight years ago. Hubris, rather than Les Bleus, is England’s greatest opponent.
“One week ago you guys had Ireland as the best team in the world,” Jones said on Friday. “Now they have suffered a defeat and have four guys out injured, it is a case of batten down the hatches. We live in a world where things keep changing so everything is not good in our team. We are just moving in the right direction.”
Which is more than can be said of France. Les Bleus’ latest defeat, at home to Wales when they squandered a 16-0 interval lead, has prompted six changes and a greater emphasis on defence, with the burly Mathieu Bastareaud restored to the midfield and the more lyrical Romain Ntamack relegated to the replacements’ bench. They have become used to firefighting but it is not often that they aim the water in the right direction.
There was a jumpiness to Jones in his final media briefing before the match. He usually reclines in his chair as he fields questions but this time he crouched forwards, hands clasped together, as if on edge. Dublin was a tactical triumph, an evening when England so imposed themselves on the grand slam champions and favourites to retain their title that they left with a try bonus point and the greatest harvest of points by a visiting team since England – soon to be world champions – secured the Six Nations title in 2003.
The mindset on Sunday is different, no matter the chaotic state of opponents who have become a parody of themselves, extras in a Jacques Tati film. England are still emerging from the wreckage of five successive defeats last year and while the return of the gainline gatecrashers Billy Vunipola and Manu Tuilagi gave them a focal point that was fully exploited by Owen Farrell they were playing against a side that had a settled gameplan based on hogging possession, dictating the pace of a game and defending a lead. Ireland were taken to a place where they were not familiar and could not find the exit.
France will be different, and not just because of their reputation for unpredictability. They have become all too predictable, starting with purpose but blowing up in the second half. They led at Twickenham in the final quarter two years ago, having exploited an unfamiliar England back row, primarily through Louis Picamoles. The France No 8 in effect ended the experiment of playing Maro Itoje as a blindside flanker – although he continued to wear the No 6 jersey for the rest of the tournament, trading places with Courtney Lawes – only for James Haskell, Danny Care and Ben Te’o to come off the bench and turn the game.
England were sucked into France’s way of playing then, with little pace or flow to the game, and Jones expects the visitors again to keep the ball-in-play time to a minimum by kicking for touch, taking a while to complete a scrum and being in no hurry to get the ball away from a ruck, unless they have won a turnover.
“It is hard to get pace in a game against them,” he said. “We are getting longer stoppages now with the way matches are being refereed. We had the Japan coaches Jamie Joseph and Tony Brown with us for the week: they said they were looking for the ball to be in play for 50 minutes in their World Cup matches, but with France it is 30.
“I do not think lengthy delays are healthy for the game and we have investigated a few ways of ensuring that we can speed things up.”
What was significant in Dublin was England’s speed at getting the ball away from the breakdown, in contrast to their problems in that area last year. While Jones said he was not particularly impressed by his side’s effectiveness in that area against Ireland, their opening try in the second minute suggested otherwise: a succession of quick rucks led to the second-minute score. England will be wary of Arthur Iturria, the openside flanker who was France’s most effective player against Wales. If England are to impose their pace on the game, they will need to neutralise him after a tackle.
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“We can get better,” said Jones when asked about the Ireland victory. He has lost Maro Itoje, who suffered knee ligament damage against Wales, but did not rule out the second-row returning against Wales in Cardiff in a fortnight. He cited the bulk of the French pack but it will not be as heavy as it was against Wales, when it weighed in collectively at 50kg heavier, with the prop Uini Atonio dropped and the mobile Félix Lambey preferred to Paul Willemse at lock.
“We have one of the lightest second-rows in the world,” said the France coach, Jacques Brunel. Lambey and the prop Demba Bamba, who has dislodged Atonio, are 31kg lighter than the players they have replaced as Les Bleus seek greater mobility and staying power, but they have picked a team not to lose rather than to win.
It is a seminal moment for Jones, which perhaps explains his edginess, but if England are to make an impact in the World Cup – and France are among their group opponents – they need to leave their mark on Sunday afternoon. Which they should, as a certain bird comes home to roost for their opponents.