It just looks messy. The players may know each other well on the training field, but in a match it is different, and they have not had enough time to develop the instant understanding that’s required.
Eddie Jones likes to have his 700plus caps on the pitch for England, and he appears to take the view that it is always better to be winning games, although planning and development are also key.
You can question whether some players will be as competitive in three years’ time as they are now, and people will be saying that where there are question marks, rest them sometimes and give other players a chance. I understand that, but if someone is going strong at Test level, a coach will always be reluctant to change something that’s working.
We saw this when Jones moved Tom Curry to No.8 at the start of the last Six Nations and there were a lot of voices saying that Alex Dombrandt should be given a chance to show what he could do.
Eddie saw it differently. There are clear standards that he has in his mind that you have to be a certain level in terms of fitness, decisionmaking, and rock-solid defence before he will bring you into the starting side. Players have to give him that light-bulb moment, and that’s why some of the guys in the wider squad remain, and others go back to their clubs.
Denne historien er fra December 06, 2020-utgaven av The Rugby Paper.
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Denne historien er fra December 06, 2020-utgaven av The Rugby Paper.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Ten-try Chiefs show Pirates no mercy
TEN-TRY Exeter inflicted the backlash from six successive defeats in their worst ever start to a Premiership season on a young Pirates side suffering their own problems in the Championship.
South America look to keep on building
AS Sebastián Piñeyrúa's historic six-year term as President of Rugby Sudamérica comes to an end, his replacement shows no signs of slowing down.
Scarratt excited by new pathway
ENGLAND centurion Emily Scarratt is delighted with the new women's BUCS programme which aims to provide a smoother pathway for young aspiring female players.
Baxter: I want to make things better
ROB Baxter will not be walking away from Exeter, the only club still looking for a Premiership victory this season, believing he can get the Chiefs back on track and he cannot bear the thought of anyone else doing the job.
Pearce walks in his father's footsteps
PADDY Pearce is living a dream after emulating his father and great-uncle by playing for the club he supported as a boy, Bristol.
New England group will cause uncertainty
SO JUST when we thought that everything was getting sorted between the RFU, the clubs and players, a number of new agreements and a new group raises its head.
Galthie turns his sights to the future
FRANCE head coach Fabien Galthie offered the clearest hint yet of Les Bleus' future on Wednesday, when he released 19 players back F to their clubs for the ninth and final Top 14 round before the international break.
Gilmore has tightened up our defence - Anderson
CAMERON Anderson has hailed the impact made by defence coach Jason Gilmore, below, since he arrived at The Stoop in the summer.
Ampthill given 11-try lesson in class from Bath
BATH secured a thumping away success in the opening match of their Premiership Rugby Cup campaign against Ampthill at Dillingham Park.
New faces take the plaudits for Saints
NORTHAMPTON handed out a thorough lesson to a tame Leicester team in this one-sided East Midlands derby to launch the Premiership Cup.
