England’s success under Eddie Jones fired by end of Stuart Lancaster’s ‘school rules’
Horror show tours and camps under former boss left deep scars on the frustrated faces of the Red Rose stars
EDDIE JONES knew exactly what England did last summer — and the one before that.
The horror show tours and camps under Stuart Lancaster left deep scars on the frustrated faces of the Red Rose stars when he left Twickenham in November.
Eddie Jones has lifted the shackles and allowed players to rule themselves
England had previously been holed up in hotels with no freedom, no responsibility and no choice.
It is a stark contrast to the current reign that has delivered a Six Nations Grand Slam and a series win against Australia.
The doom and gloom after the World Cup’s darkest hour has lifted with the arrival of a new dawn.
England finally feel that they are treated like men — not kids.
The senior players’ table at the home training base at Pennyhill Park, a relic of school days and the idea of ‘headmaster’ Lancaster, was out of bounds for England’s ‘dirty-secret’ James Haskell.
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Now Jones and the 31-year-old have a bantering bromance and play up to the rest of the squad.
A senior players’ group led by captain Dylan Hartley meets regularly to help lead the team and mould the player-led environment.
And reflecting on his dream start of eight wins in eight matches, Jones said: “It’s 100 per cent down to the players. If you don’t have talented players, you don’t have a successful team.
“It’s great for the players because eight months ago, they weren’t feeling very good about themselves.
“The whole English rugby community wasn’t feeling good about itself, but now rugby has an opportunity for a big lift in England.”
Rose skipper Dylan has a big Hart
DYLAN HARTLEY is England’s captain marvel after kicking doubters into touch.
Six months ago there was uproar when the Saints star became Red Rose skipper off the back of serving 54 weeks of bans for biting, gouging, punching, headbutting, elbowing and abusing a ref.
But boss Eddie Jones’ decision has proved inspired as Hartley, 30, led his side to a Six Nations Grand Slam and series win in Oz
He leads England for the tenth time today, aiming to make it a series clean sweep in the Third Test against the Wallabies.
England pal James Haskell, who was once gouged by Hartley, said: “A little bit of edge about you is good.
“It shows that you know both sides of the path.
“I’m just glad he has come through and shown that it doesn’t matter what you have done and who you are.”
On the training pitch, the joking stops and the work starts to replicate the intensity of Test rugby.
A giant stopwatch counts down the time left in the session — any slip-ups and the time is often reset and they go again.
Short, intense and punchy, Jones rules with a different agenda to Lancaster, whose players would complain that there were too many breaks and too much standing around. Lancaster was seen as indecisive, too much of a consensus man — and refused to let the players have a beer.
Jones is the polar opposite and rules with an iron fist — having joked that they should all go on a pub crawl when he came in.
Yet Aussie Jones, 56, insists he has not waved a magic wand.
He added: “I don’t think there are things such as great coaches.
“You have periods of time when you have some success and other periods, you can be unsuccessful. One of the reasons Australians have done well with coaching is it’s a tough place. There are only a small number of jobs in rugby and to make it, you have to do well.”
EDDIE JONES has been told he should form a Lions dream team with Warren Gatland.
Ex-Lions great Keith Wood reckons Wales boss Gatland is favourite to lead the British and Irish side in New Zealand next year — having masterminded victory in Australia in 2013.
But he said: “If these guys worked together, it would be pretty phenomenal. We pick the best players, what’s to stop us bringing the best coaches?
“Eddie Jones says he doesn’t want to go on the Lions because of his commitment to England, but if he went out there for two months as an assistant, is he willing to do that?”
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