• Eddie Jones wants his side to stay on front foot for full 80 minutes
• ‘I havent seen a lock as athletically gifted as Maro Itoje,says head coachIt was a simple statement but, as so often with Eddie Jones, and it chop directly to the heart of English rugby’s improving fortunes. “We played a bit like the old team in the final 20 minutes, observed the Australian, reflecting on the sole allotment of Saturday’s eventful game that did not proceed entirely to plan. The sub-text needed no underlining; England are Six Nations champions because Jones’s players are thinking more clearly than they ever did during final autumn’s World Cup.
The side that stumbled in the pool stages has altered only slightly personnel-wise but, and late wobble or not,the way they respond to big occasions is appreciably different. Where there was once a tendency to tighten up under pressure England now realise staying proactive is a far better way to proceed.
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Source: theguardian.com