ENGLAND HEAD COACH Eddie Jones insists belief in his project has not been shaken as he prepares to face already-crowned Six Nations champions Ireland this Saturday.
At this stage last year, Jones’ team had 18 straight Test wins behind them and were headed to Dublin looking for a record 19th along with a second consecutive Grand Slam.
This Saturday another loss at Ireland’s hands would not only present Joe Schmidt with a Grand Slam, but it would represent a third consecutive loss for Jones after his team were turned over by Scotland and France.
“Every good team goes through this period,” Jones said today, “it’s actually an essential part of developing a great team.
“The learnings we’ll get from this, albeit very painful, are absolutely crucial going forward because it’s about how we respond.
“It’s not as if we can’t play rugby, we know we’ve got good players as they’ve played for the Lions and won games for England.
When you get a loss it tests your mental resolve and that’s the test we’ve got to face.”
Adding to the difficulty of England’s challenge are the injuries sustained by Courtney Lawes and Nathan Hughes in Paris. Today Jones added star wing Elliott Daly to the list of walking wounded — walking, in Daly’s case, hindered by a protective boot to mind his foot as he awaits a scan.
“The boot is just a precaution. He’ll go for a scan today,” said Jones, who was at least able to signal a return for captain Dylan Hartley after a calf injury.
“Dylan ran this morning, but we need to get a medical report on him. I expect him to be available but we’ll just have to wait and see. If he’s fit then he’ll be playing.”
“Obviously we need to get over the disappointment of losing to France. We’ve reflected on the game and we did enough to win, but sometimes the result doesn’t go your way.
“We’ve just got to focus now on Ireland. We’ve started that with a short run this morning and a couple of meetings to get us on the front foot.
“Ireland are a good team. I said at the start of the tournament they’re a good team and they’ve proved that – they’re worthy champions of the Six Nations.”
