‘Bus driver' Smith has real chance to steer England with Ford parked by Jones

EDDIE JONES described his squad selection for the Autumn Nations Series next month as “a line in the sand” — and England’s head coach is not wrong.

- Simon Collings

By omitting Saracens trio Billy Vunipola, Jamie George and Mako Vunipola, and fly-half George Ford, Jones has left out 264 England caps and explains why this squad feels more like revolution than evolution.

Of those who did make Jones’s 34-man squad for Tests against Tonga, Australia and South Africa, only five have more caps than George, Ford and the Vunipola brothers. A core part of England’s squad over the past five to six years has now gone, even if Jones insists the door is not completely closed to them.

“I feel they need to regenerate and rejuvenate,” said Jones. “They need to add things to their game if they’re going to continue to the next World Cup. They understand that and we’ll see how they progress over the next period of time. The door’s not closed to them, it’s always open.”