Yesterday was a culmination of a process Eddie Jones started 18 months ago. We had that wonderful semis final against New Zealand where everything worked to a true exposure of the deficiencies in our play against South Africa not one week later. Eddies lack of a plan B and lack of developing a leadership group capable of thinking independently and adjusting to the threat and challenges the opposition provide was rudely laid bare. No one begrudged South Africas win despite our natural disappointment for losing the final. However equally there was hope that with our set up and with a coach of Eddies experience we would make strides forward to correct that which we failed upon in that final.
What has happened since was the polar opposite of what we hoped would occur. Eddie grew ever more introvert, rather than expanding and learning, he increasingly contracted our play and style. The backs became irrelevant beyond chasing up n under after up n unders. Good line out ball became a simple play of 9-10 and hoof. Eddie became obsessed with playing without the ball and on physicality only. Maybe 20 years ago this would of worked, yet with the advancements in the game this was a strategy that was doomed to failure. New Zealand still form the blueprint, with S.A not far behind. Teams need a solid foundation of defence and discipline, however you also need a effective and dangerous back line, a ability to turn defence into attack in a heartbeat, to play heads up rugby, to think independently, and also to treasure possession when it is hard fought for.....you cannot win games without the ball, yet Jones thought exactly the opposite.
However the above only works if you select the correct players and have a selection policy that reinforces this. All teams need a core leadership group, players that are first names on the teamsheet. However if those players are short of game time, of match fitness or not playing well their places should still be open to alternate selection options. This works on 2 levels;
1: You keep the door open for new players, you generate a pathway, a hope and a goal to aim for. You do not create complacency, and you do not demotivate those trying to breakthrough by creating favouritism. You generate competition where all players know they have to keep their standards high to keep the jersey, and that jersey and number continues to hold the reverence to which it deserves, and is felt by all those who wear it. Eddie Jones has destroyed this by picking players with neither form nor performance to justify selection, and the test side is NEVER the place to be finding this once again. Interestingly with regards to the huge honour of playing for England, on a tour of HQ for my birthday the tour guide said Eddie Jones simply sees the changing room as ‘the sheds’, this one fact exposes a deeper misunderstanding that he does not understand the psychology and environment required, thus taking away the privilege of what it truly means to play for England.
2: You engage the fan and support base. We are intelligent people -aside from those who had access to opposable thumbs and twitter last night to shamefully blast a reporter that asked questions most of us were thinking - and you bring us all together supporting the same goal. This support IS felt by the players and coaches, and equally supports those players and coaches trying to breakthough, reaffirming their drive to get in and be part of it. This agains drives standards higher still as you are selecting the very best. Once more Eddie Jones has not understood nor respected this. His negative style, more combative comments and frankly absurd sentences such as ‘selection is not important.....we are hiding our attacking game until the world cup so others cannot adjust to our style in time’ is far more divisive than unifying.
So we came to this tournament, England seem more a team circling the wagons, distancing more and more from the ethics and core components of the game where successful teams thrive. Discipline, ability, evolution, competition, style have all suffered as a consequence. And then the perfect storm occurred yesterday...we can hide behind questionable refereeing decisions -and that has a part to play- but it should not detract from the sequence of events that has led us to where we are. I ran into a fellow England fan walking yesterday, and like me he felt we would lose the game, and we both reflected the same dissociative signs of struggling to engage with our national team. We both felt performance and discipline were problems, and that we did not have the ability to adjust and overcome. Unfortunately our thoughts were born out. 18 months compressed into 80 minutes in Cardiff.
We are behind the proverbial 8 ball with a coach out of ideas, strong on dictatorial processes who puts favouritism before form. We are going backwards, and currently have a squad struggling to connect with its fanbase. If this path is continued to be followed we will be remembered more for butchering of opportunity than best team in the world.
Always a Wasp
Topic: 18 months after the Word cup final: Wales v England post match thoughts (Read 2081 times)