Eddie Jones has claimed the England captaincy has become too big for one man after taking the surprise decision to split the role between Dylan Hartley and Owen Farrell for the autumn internationals and revealing he is considering doing so at next year’s World Cup.
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On Wednesday Jones selected his 36-man squad to face South Africa, New Zealand, Japan and Australia next month, again leaving out Danny Cipriani but handing a recall to his Gloucester team-mate Ben Morgan while selecting eight uncapped players amid huge injury problems in the pack.
Jones conceded he is without “a third of a World Cup side” in the absence of senior players such as the Vunipola brothers, Chris Robshaw and Joe Launchbury from his depleted ranks but insisted he “just has to make it work”, admitting he would expect to be sacked if England fail to win any of their four fixtures. He also denied the injury list prompted his decision to employ two captains, instead revealing he took the decision after the series defeat by South Africa left England on a run of five defeats in six Tests. While it will be perceived in some quarters as a demotion for Hartley, the head coach believes that amid a host of off-field commitments, the role can become a burden if done single‑handed.
“In England the job of the captain is probably the biggest job in the world in terms of rugby so they can share that responsibility which will help the players in their own preparation,” said Jones. “The responsibility for the captain in terms of the media here is far greater than in any other country. What I want is to make sure it doesn’t overburden them in their own preparation, so having two co-captains allows us to spread that load. It’s a great situation for us.”
Hartley has been Jones’s captain for 26 of his 31 Tests in charge and is England’s most successful ever in terms of win percentage. But in the hooker’s injury-enforced absence, Farrell assumed the role for the three-match series against South Africa in the summer. Jones has also used two captains in the past and cited the combined influence of John Eales and George Gregan when he was in charge of Australia.
“It almost became a no-brainer,” added Jones. “I’ve discussed it with the two boys over the last week and a half. I think it’s the best situation for us. We’ll use it in November and, if it’s the right thing for us – and I think it will be – we’ll take it right through to the World Cup.”
Jones also gave his biggest hint to date that Farrell is set to feature at fly-half this autumn, having done so only twice in the Australian’s rein. Much will depend on the fitness of Ben Te’o – who is in contention to make his first appearance of the season for Worcester on Saturday – and Manu Tuilagi, who has never started under Jones but is beginning to show a return to form for Leicester. “The hard thing is that I don’t know the condition of Manu and Te’o until I get my hands on them, then that picture will become clear,” said Jones.
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All of which does not bode well for Cipriani’s hopes of forcing his way back into Jones’s plans and claiming a place in next year’s World Cup squad. Indeed Jones reiterated that Cipriani remains his third choice, behind Farrell and George Ford. “We’ve got two good 10s there. It’s tough on Danny. He’s our third-choice at the moment but George and Owen are our first-two choices,” added Jones. “I’ve made it very explicit to him, what he needs to work on. Everyone is a World Cup possible.
“I rang him on the phone and whenever you tell a player they’re not in, the rest of the conversation is a bit of a blur. Have you ever had a girl tell you that she doesn’t love you? You don’t remember the rest of the conversation. It’s like with a player, when you tell them they’re not in, they say ‘yes, yes’ but they don’t hear anything.”
After Mako Vunipola was ruled out for the autumn with a calf tear on Wednesday, joining Ellis Genge and Matt Mullan on the sidelines, Jones has named only two loosehead props – the Exeter pair of Alec Hepburn and Ben Moon. Neither has started a Test match but Jones said he did not consider asking Joe Marler to come temporarily out of international retirement. He did, however, emphasise that Marler would be welcomed back if he changed his mind. “Playing Test rugby is a choice,” said Jones. “We all make priorities: whether our family or job is most important, whether recreation is most important. He’s made his decision, to me, in a very logical and coherent way. But I’ve told him … if he changes his mind – and people do – the door’s still open.”
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Katy Daley-Mclean is set to make her 100th international appearance after England Women named her in the squad for the autumn internationals. England will play the USA, Canada and Ireland at Allianz Park, Castle Park and Twickenham next month. The head coach, Simon Middleton, has named 28 players including seven uncapped. Lucy Attwood (Bristol Bears), Sarah Beckett (Firwood Waterloo), Ellie Mulhearn (Bristol Bears) and Ellena Perry (Saracens) all featured in the England Women U20 summer tour to Canada, with Hannah Botterman (Saracens), Zoe Harrison (Saracens) and Abby Dow (Wasps) also named having toured with the development side in August.