Jones turns England ‘s attention to Six Nations after autumn progress English rugby association team

England suffered a similar collapse in this year’s Six Nations, and head coach says he sympathizes with teams like Springboks who have played 13 tests in just over four months. “We’re lucky to be able to play high-quality sports at such a difficult time, but given the limitations of the team environment, it’s sometimes hard for players,” Jones said.

“You think of South Africa, they have been away from home for at least 18 weeks. It brings challenges. There may be mental fatigue exacerbated by these conditions. We certainly considered the Six Nations team very difficult due to the limitations of the team environment. That puts the second layer in the equation. “

However, as it prepares for France to look for possible World Cup bases in 2023, Jones is less concerned about a possible rebalancing of test rugby between North and South than about ensuring England continue their Twickenham victory over Tonga, Australia. and world champions.

“I’m not very worried about the northern hemisphere,” stressed Jones, whose team’s next match is in Murrayfield on Feb. 5. “The only thing I’m worried about is England and I know we’re in a better position after Six Nations because we’re going to improve all the time. Once the coaches have taken a break, we start looking at Scotland and seeing how we’re going to beat them. That’s the only thing , which we are concerned about. “

England, now staffed by former Edinburgh coach Richard Cockerill, is also looking to continue the more proactive offensive game that Jones believes is now possible with slightly enacted laws. “World Rugby has three things they emphasize: speed, space and safety. All three of these are coming out … we get faster games, more space and a safer game. So everything is going in the right direction and domestic competitions are following, albeit with their own national taste.

“I think the speed of the ball increases the players’ decision making and the more they practice it, the better it is for the players. If you look at the Premier League, I think the speed of the rye ball has dropped by about a second, which means the defense is less organized. you will be able to play faster and smoother on the line.

Jones, who also selected 23 new players this year, hopes the emergence of some high-quality youngsters will continue to energize their seniors, but admits team building is still an inaccurate science. – I spoke four or five weeks ago with a coach who won a big, big trophy. I said “what did you do?” He said: “I really don’t know, every team I get is doing the same thing. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t.