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OPINION: Eddie Jones must be having a laugh at England rugby bosses
France have made a big statement by beating England so convincingly and will go into their home World Cup as heavy favourites.
England’s coach Steve Borthwick. Picture: EPA-EFE/Neil Hall
Wow, what now England?
The big bosses at the Rugby Football Union must be wondering if sacking Eddie Jones less than a year before the Rugby World Cup was the wisest decision.
It seemed a strange ruling at the time and looks even weirder now, following France’s stunning 53-10 Six Nations hammering of Steve Borthwick’s England team at Twickenham on Saturday.
It was France’s first win at the home of English rugby in 16 years while the seven-try victory for Fabien Galthie’s side resulted in England’s heaviest home defeat of all time, and their third ever anywhere.
Borthwick’s beating
Borthwick, who got the England job ahead of a number of interested internationally recognised coaches, must be wondering what has happened and whether he made the right decision to take on one of world sport’s most demanding jobs.
According to Andy Goode, the former England flyhalf, Borthwick was England captain when the team suffered their previous worst defeat at Twickenham — in 2008 against the Springboks; the score that day 42-6.
The World Cup kicks off in just over six months from today, on 8 September, with hosts France taking on pool A opponents, New Zealand. What a match that is shaping up to be.
Galthie’s team look a class apart at this stage and will rightly go into their home tournament as heavy favourites, but fans will also hope they aren’t peaking too soon, now in the Six Nations.
But, let’s be honest, you’d rather want to be in France’s shoes than in England’s.
How quickly things change
Borthwick has a lot to do before he and his team head to France and right now pool D opponents Japan and Argentina will believe they have a real chance of progressing to the knockouts at the expense of England.
How quickly things can change in sport; just four years ago, with Eddie Jones in charge, England faced the Springboks in the World Cup final in Japan.
And while many rugby observers the world over will be having a little chuckle at the predicament England find themselves in, the person laughing the loudest of them all will be Jones, who’s back in his homeland and coaching the Aussies once again.
