Forwards dictate rugby matches and England’s will be key against Ireland | Ugo Monye

Eddie Jones comes in for criticism but a lot of teams would be happy to play the way England do if it brought them a similar level of success

The old saying goes that forwards dictate whether you win or lose, backs by how many. In England’s case at the moment, the forwards are determining whether or not they win, and it’s also the forwards dictating by how many.

It is four years to the day since Eddie Jones was appointed as England’s head coach. When he first arrived he said that he wanted his team to play a traditional English game, starting with the set-piece and the defence, and then layering on the attack. It’s almost as if, five years on, he’s reset and is doing the same again. The difference is that he has added a relentless pressure in every facet of their game. Pressure can look like a lot of different things, whether it’s your effort, your kick-chase or your set-piece, but England did not let up in beating Georgia 40-0 and, crucially, they did not get bored with what they were doing.

Continue reading…