Eddie weighs in on England's form against Ireland

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Former England coach and current Japan head coach Eddie Jones was at hand to see England’s opening round fixture with Ireland in Dublin.

Jones, who coached the side to Six Nations titles in 2016, 2017 and 2020, saw some positives in the defeat for England who went down 22-27.

The visitors started strong scoring the first try before falling behind 10-27 before scoring the final two tries.

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“Firstly, I’m glad I’m not,” Jones said jokingly on ITV when asked what he’d say in the sheds if still coaching the team.

“You’ve just got, you got to find the positives in the game. You know, their physicality, their defence in the first half, their breakdown work was good, and also that ability just to stay in the game like in the second half.

“I think they gave away seven penalties and two free kicks. So Ireland were having lineouts in their half. Then Ireland got their rhythm. So you’ve got to be able to just keep doing your job.

“Don’t look for the easy option there. And that’s something you’ve just got to do through hard practice. You’ve got to craft some creativity.”

The former England head coach agreed that France and Ireland are just a cut above at the moment, with too much world-class talent and experience.

“Well, I think they are, you know, and you just saw today the quality of Gibson-Park and Lowe in the second half, you know, they really dominated the game, and the rest of the team went with them.

“And for England to go forward, they need a couple of those senior guys to really step up, show the way and bring the younger guys with them.”

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