It is precisely 30 years since English rugby first turned to Will Carling for fresh inspiration, and sporting history is repeating itself. England’s injury list is not quite lengthy enough to necessitate a playing recall for the former national captain but, as of next week, the 52-year-old will be joining Eddie Jones’s backroom team as a leadership mentor.
Of the many staff appointments made by Jones to date this one will prompt England’s rivals to splutter most over their cornflakes. If ever there was a red rose captain who could wind up entire nations simply by his body language it was the youthful Carling and Jones believes he represents an ideal link between today’s players and their country’s traditional heritage.
Manu Tuilagi threatens England power surge against South Africa
The news, which came as a bolt from a clear blue Algarve sky where the squad are preparing before the Test against South Africa at Twickenham on Saturday, is intriguing on numerous levels. For a start Jones has only just had one leadership reshuffle with Dylan Hartley and Owen Farrell installed as co-captains. Three years ago Carling’s blunt views on the squad’s performances at the 2015 World Cup attracted the public ire of certain players who are still involved now.
More than two decades have passed since he stepped away from international rugby, having led England to 44 wins in 59 Tests between 1988 and 1997. England, though, won three grand slams and reached a World Cup final in that extraordinary period and Jones believes Carling, who is set to spend two days a week in camp, can supply something that he, as an Australian, cannot.
“Because I’m not English, I can’t preach to the players about having pride in England,” Jones said. “I’ve always thought we have possibly had a gap in that area. He joins England’s great past to the present. It is similar to what the All Blacks have done with great players and I think Will can play a role for us. I have seen it work well for Australia and Japan, too; they all have someone from the past who keeps that connection in place. I think that’s important and that is what he will bring.
“I have met Will continuously over the last two years and I think he can add value to the senior players in the squad with his experience. I want the past to be linked to the present and also then to give the players some additional help with leadership. Sometimes people don’t know what is good for them.”
Jones says he spoke to other unnamed former England players before settling on Carling, who was appointed England captain at the age of 22 having resigned his army commission the previous year. His first game in charge, exactly 30 years ago next Monday, ended in a 28-19 win against Australia at Twickenham which Jones clearly still remembers.
“He’s a bit of a specialist in leadership. He understands English rugby, he understands what made English rugby great, so combining the skill of leadership with the knowledge of English history is a nice resource for us to have. I met a number of people but I felt Will is the best equipped to handle it. This is not a coaching job. In a lot of ways it has got to do specifically with English rugby.”
Jones has been recruiting on other fronts, too. In addition to their new defence coach, John Mitchell, England’s players have been joined in Portugal by the speed coach Jonas Dodoo, who has experience of coaching British Olympic sprinters. The former Warrington and Great Britain rugby league player Jon Clarke has also been hired in a strength and conditioning role while someone named Jonny Wilkinson will continue to be involved on a part-time basis as a kicking coach.
It is an increasingly eye-catching roster but, as ever, the million-dollar question for Jones is whether he has assembled the right blend to revitalise England before the World Cup in Japan next year. Only now, it seems, is Jones fully grasping the magnitude of the task. “I probably never recognised how difficult 2017 would be,” he said.
“At least 65% of your squad go away with the Lions, they don’t have proper preparations for the season. Did I account for that when I first took the job? No. It is a bit like when you have a baby. Everyone tells you how difficult it is but you never know until you are up at 3am five mornings in a row.”