Phil Vickery Tells It Like It Is.

[Rossm]

Taken from an article in the Daily Mail. Link below,

Phil Vickery insists Eddie Jones and Co must stop excuses and deliver NOW

As the son of a Cornish dairy farmer, Phil Vickery has always been one for straight talking and the World Cup winner has a clear message for Eddie Jones and England.

‘The players need to get out of the mindset where they’re thinking they’ll be around for the next decade and there will be other opportunities,’ Vickery told Sportsmail. ‘It’s about doing it right now. They talk about being on a journey. I really detest this word. Stick your journey up your f****** jacksie. I get pumped up about this because it’s very important.

‘I think talking of a journey is an easy thing to say. It’s one that’s crept into rugby.

When the players are old and wrinkly like I am now, they will want to be remembered for the stuff they did, not the journey they went on.’

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/rugbyunion/article-10881839/Phil-Vickery-insists-Eddie-Jones-stop-excuses-deliver-NOW.html

[NellyWellyWaspy]

 

[Shugs]

He’s not wrong is he. The problem is there’s nothing in what Jones is doing that indicates he’s playing for now OR building for the future.

[mike909]

He’s not wrong is he. The problem is there’s nothing in what Jones is doing that indicates he’s playing for now OR building for the future.

Yeah - that's it in a nutshell. England ought to look to win every game and have some sort of overall strategy to achieve that. England have always been able to win any game, mainly from being a real pain to play against, good set piece and some speed. Not some f'ing chaos theory, no numbers, spheriods. And since Autumn Cup 2020, we've done neither - as you say. In that Cup, France and Ireland especially, tried the untried if possible - we won the cup by just about out staying a v junior France side.

2021 6Ns, we had the opportunity with the EA's relegated and obs in poor form to pick new players and try to play other, than "EA's plus" and in 2022 6Ns, we looked like we were lost....All very well getting Steward into 15 (we were better with Malins) and Smith into 10 - hardly radical to play in form Prem players vs Canada and the USA to see....But we went from their to 6Ns 2022 and looked like twats.....

It's less than 18 months to the RWC - we need to start looking like we know our best players/team and how to play. We seemed to know that once in recent games, vs France 2021. We've looked like idiots even in winning vs Wales......

[Shugs]

Spot on. And there are a few core things I think Jones should change. We have some of the best back row options in the world but continue to play locks there. Which leads into the general point of playing people in their best positions. Next, add pace. We’ve really lacked it in a few games. One thing Jones does is try and get people on the pitch for the sake of it. A good example is Malins and Steward. Both fantastic 15’s. But if you choose one don’t stick the other on the wing. I don’t for one minute think he’ll do any of it.

[Marlow Nick]

I am absolutely not a fan of Eddie but saw this intriguing video by Squidge.

https://youtu.be/1UDmoKBPg_Y

Maybe just maybe Eddie might possibly not be quite as mad as I thought

[mike909]

I love Squidge - but this is the guy that post 6Ns 2021, and especially iro the win vs France (hence my quoting of that game too often!) said England weren't too far away......and then we saw 2022 6Ns and a team that too often seemed to have no point of difference and seemed surprised that they were toothless, when failing to pick pace and failing to pick forwards that could break gainlines and/or make off loads. England were way behind on those basics last 6Ns. Hence another 2 from 5 wins, one vs Italy and one when being made to look rather silly by Wales in terms of go forwards.

Jones has always had the tendency to do really well in improving what's there. England's key players in RWC 15 will mainly be playing in this one - and England were doing pretty well before the RWC fxxk up. But his longer term record across the rugby world has been mixed with the Aussie team post 03 RWC an example and Queensland another. He has lots of great ideas - but this isn't what he's being asked to do. England can win every game. They have been able most of the time since my first international I went to in '73. And I struggle with a coach that's actually seemingly taking England away from that position via selection and strategy. And a lack of taking those opportunities to make changes. We didn't change from RWC to 6Ns 2021 in any material sense.

So he might have a genius plan....it's not an opinion - no surprise - that's common in Aussie rugby circles....especially in terms of person management and the lack of care to players, coaches and teams if you don't commit 100%.

The Rugby Analyst puts up another view

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x93atx9tPPI