EDDIE JONES insisted England’s problems are fixable after they made a humbling start to the autumn by falling 30-29 to Argentina.
The Pumas halted a 10-match losing run in the fixture dating back to 2009 and claimed only their second-ever victory at Twickenham after Emiliano Boffelli slotted the winning penalty in the 70th minute.
The rivals meet again in their opening game of next year’s World Cup and Jones denied this result is evidence of a deeper malaise within England, who face tougher tests this autumn against New Zealand and South Africa.
“The World Cup is 11 months away and a lot happens in 11 months. As a lot can happen in a week,” Jones said.
“I’m not sitting here thinking we’ve got really strong problems within the team. For the most part I thought we dominated the game.
“If we didn’t, then I might be thinking people have good rights to get stuck into us and then we’d have a bit of a fight.
“But I don’t need the fight because I feel like the team went out and played how they wanted to.
“But we made some silly mistakes and we can change those things pretty easily. They’re all controllable. There are no real, big, structural issues within our game.
“You always want to have a more potent attack, always, but sometimes it doesn’t go like that. Sometimes it takes a bit of time to get it right.
“We’ve got to tidy it up a bit but we made enough line breaks to win probably two games, but we didn’t finish them off, which is an area we can always improve on.
“It’s a great opportunity for us now because we’re under the pump a bit which is good and I think we’ll respond really well to that. I’m looking forward to it.”
Argentina struck with two tries in quick succession by Boffelli and Santiago Carreras to seize a 24-16 lead with 30 minutes to go and they had the composure to close out the win before a subdued Twickenham crowd.
The TMO checked for a knock-on in the build up to Carreras’ breakaway try and while refusing to condemn referee Andrew Brace, Jones suggested that it should not have stood.
“The referee made the decision. When you throw a pass and it goes that far behind, the best players in the world don’t generally do that so there was probably something else that happened,” said Jones in reference to Owen Farrell’s pass that was intended for Billy Vunipola but instead landed on the floor.
Jones revealed that Manu Tuilagi’s 67th-minute departure from the pitch was because of a blister and reported no further injuries.
Argentina coach Michael Cheika was delighted with a first win over old sparring partner Jones after losing seven matches to him as Australia boss.
“It was good and it was tense. I really liked the way the guys prepared this week. They had a really good attitude about them,” Cheika said.
“It was tricky too because no one in that side had won against England before so you’ve got to combine the mental side of it with the tactical and the technical side of it.
“It’s a great feeling and really nice for the lads to get that opportunity to have that experience here.”
Squidge rugby had a video on how he thought Eddie Jones was building toward peaking at the world cup, and it made a lot of sense. I think Eddie Jones doesn’t care one iota how results go before the world cup, if it helps him learn more about his players, tries out tonnes of combinations, and doesn’t give away too many hints away prior to the world cup. He is too shrewd a coach to not have a plan.
@Joe Vlogs: 100% ,it’s possible that Ireland would trade a Grand Slam for a World Cup final appearance. If England were to win next year Cup nobody there would give a flying f about today’s result.
@Joe Vlogs: I’m not so sure. He seems to revert to up the jumper rugby. There doesn’t seem to be any guile in the team. The players look deflated and the reliance on thugs is depressing. He may unearth some sparky players….and I’m sure he has a plan, but he increasingly looks like yesterdays man. Hope I’m right.
@Joe Vlogs: ….whatever strategies EJ may be employing – and you are right he is a shrewd coach- but intensity , high tempo, are among the basic underpinning essentials needed in your collective team’s efforts. Yesterday was a slow motion slog compared to the Irish / South Africa game.
Good old optimistic Eddie.
Eddie always finds an excuse lol!!
How is he still in a job.
@Lucious Sweet: cos it’s too late to change, and/or his undeniable track record of getting a team to hit their straps for world cup has earned him a lot of rope
Argy are actually quite good especially since Cheika & Contepomi arrived. Beaten by the better team.
I don’t know if they are controllable eddie. Ever since the refs have been ordered too crack down on, (itoje) swimming up the sides of the lineout defensive mauls and getting arms around the ball carriers, players dropping to they’re knees to absorb the hit of a player trying to clear them out and then bouncing back on to they’re feet at rucks, taking pillars out at rucks and holding players down on the ground after the play to keep them out of the next phase of play. All of which was illegal before but wasn’t policed as much as the last 2/3 years. England have not been anywhere near as effective.
Eddie is a great coach.. Call it what it is (arrogance, confidence, cocksure) he is a breath of fresh air…. Can’t read into this too much, England will be a force as they always are come the world cup…
@Stuart Collins: Where were you in 2011 & 2015? XD
@Criiochúr Daniel Daithí O’Chathail: we’ll winners once and runners up 2 or 3 times I’d say they do pretty well in world cups as far as northern hemisphere teams go in general… Would you disagree?