England slip to defeat against France
By Duncan Bech
20/3/22
Eddie Jones has been given the full backing of the Rugby Football Union despite another disappointing Guinness Six Nations campaign in which England finish third.
The RFU has moved quickly to end any doubt over Jones’ future in the wake of Saturday night’s 25-13 defeat by France, who were crowned Grand Slam champions in Paris.
It is the third time in five years that England - who included the Exeter Chiefs trio of Sam Simmonds, Henry Slade and Jack Nowell in their side - have ended the competition with three losses and comes just 12 months after the Australian head coach survived an inquest into finishing fifth.
However, the RFU is confident he remains the right man for the job.
“Eddie Jones is building a new England team and against a clear strategy we are encouraged by the solid progress the team has made during this Six Nations,” an RFU spokesperson said.
“The RFU continues to fully support Eddie, the coaching team and players and we are excited about the summer tour and the progress to rebuild a winning England team.”
Jones will once again meet with Twickenham’s anonymous ‘advisory panel’ to analyse another failed campaign, but he will enter the process knowing his future is assured with the World Cup just 18 months away.
“Eddie and his team of coaches and players will conduct a full review as is normal after each tournament,” the spokesperson said.
“The RFU advisory panel – which consists of board and executive members, former players and coaches, along with Eddie – will also undertake a debrief to discuss the strong positive steps forward during this campaign and the areas we need to address.
“The advisory group has been in place since 2019 and it meets regularly both during and after each tournament to evaluate clear targets and progression.”