sport news SIR CLIVE WOODWARD: Giving Eddie Jones the keys to Twickenham holds England ... trends now
I have given myself 48 hours to reflect on the Barbarians game to ensure I was not over-reacting, but England really should have taken the law into their own hands when the visitors turned the match into a farce.
I was disappointed with George Kruis for allowing it to happen, especially his antics around his backheel conversion. I cannot imagine Phil Bennett laughing at that.
It was also wrong to allow French coach Fabien Galthie and other French players to basically do anything they wanted at Twickenham. It says much about this England team.
To concede 50 points against an opponent with 14 men was more than poor, but to allow the showboating said much about the team. Something had to happen and it did not.
Can you imagine New Zealand or South Africa letting a Barbarians team come to Auckland or Pretoria and take the mickey?
But does anybody at the RFU really care — or more importantly, understand the relevance — or was this just another game, another day out, a chance to boost the finances?
England really should have taken the law into their own hands when the visiting Barbarians side turned the match into a farce - the hosts eventually lost 52-21 at Twickenham on Sunday
George Kruis back-heeled a conversion over and England should not have allowed those antics
Giving head coach Eddie Jones the keys to Twickenham holds England back in so many ways
A senior rugby figure — a director of rugby — to sort situations out like this is long overdue. Giving Eddie Jones the keys to Twickenham is holding England back now in so many ways.
Some of the rhetoric Jones continually comes out with is just plain daft and at this level it doesn't help. I saw some of his quotes about the squad for the upcoming tour of Australia and that it was a 'good mixture of youth and experience'.
It should be absolutely nothing about that whatsoever. It's about picking your best starting XV, but under Jones we have lost that.
Pick your side based on the best team to represent England, nothing to do with age or experience — it really is not that difficult if you know what your best XV is.
But no one knows what the best England team is and this seeps into the players' mindset. England have gone from close to the top of the world in Japan 2019 to, at best, a workmanlike team who few currently respect.
Starters, finishers, apprentices — we cannot even name a captain until we get to Australia!
England were embarrassed on Sunday they will be in trouble if they lose the series in Australia
England head for a three-Test series against old rivals Australia, beginning on July 2 in Perth
Winning is the only thing that matters. Selection is an art not a science. Jones has lost the knack of spotting individuals who are 'wow' players — the turnover is of concern given the quality at his disposal.
You have to have the mindset that the next game is going to be your last as coach, it really does focus the
