Eddie Jones has vowed to crack England’s problems at the breakdown after defeat in Paris ended their defence of the Six Nations title and left them in danger of finishing in the bottom half of the table, but said it would take time.
England conceded 10 penalties in the tackle area against France, most of them coming when they took the ball into contact. It cost them the game, as it had when they lost against Scotland at Murrayfield and Ireland will travel to Twickenham on Saturday as champions.
Uninspired England’s title hopes ended in scrappy defeat by France
“We are very disappointed,” Jones said. “We did not take our opportunities and gave away too many penalties. That was the difference and the breakdown again caused us trouble. We improved in that area but not to the extent we needed to.
“We are not learning quickly enough and I am not sure why. The game is changing a bit: the breakdown has become more contestable and we are failing to cope with the interpretations of referees. We have to find ways to deal with it and it will take time.”
The England coach said he took more from the performance, which nearly ended in victory with his side twice having opportunities to score a try after the time was up, than he had at Murrayfield but if England lose to Ireland they could end up fifth in the table, depending on other results on the final weekend.
Jones added: “I was pleased with the effort of the players and we were in a position to win the game. It is always difficult to pick up players when you have lost two matches in succession but that is the challenge for us. Ireland is a massively important game in what is a tough period for us when we are having painful lessons.
Late rally against France cannot hide England’s breakdown at the breakdown | Gerard Meagher
“At the moment teams are outplaying us in certain areas and we have to learn from it but we should not get too carried away or be melodramatic about where we are. We did not get the bounce of the ball and the 50-50 decisions went against us.”
Jones will make changes for the meeting with the champions at Twickenham. He will be without the No 8 Nathan Hughes, who suffered the recurrence of a knee injury, and hopes his captain Dylan Hartley, who did not play in Paris because of a calf strain, will be fit.
“The way the game is changing will enforce selection changes,” Jones said. “If you do not have power, it is very difficult to get momentum. We were two or three per cent away from where we needed to be today.”
France went into the Six Nations without a victory for 11 months but this was their second consecutive victory having lost in the last second to Ireland on the opening weekend. “We have been through some difficult times but we have shown we can match the best,” said their coach, Jacques Brunel. “Our defence was remarkable but while there is a lot to be happy about, there is also much to work on.”