That was quick, wasn't it?
Last time around we'd only just had news of Johnson's resignation, nevermind the appointment of a new man. The plan had been an extensive search to find the world's best which ended up going on and on until we hit the Six Nations and Lancaster secured the hearts of most of the RFU. Everything about this time is different and speaking cynically, the fear remains that we are still fighting the last war and have made a mistake.
It is very easy to imagine this going wrong and not just because it involves the RFU, who specialise less in shooting their own feet than in blowing their own legs off. Reading around the internet to see what the learned men of the press have to say, it swiftly emerges that Eddie Jones can at times be, well, a bit difficult. Alex Sanderson's comments here put it most succinctly:
"He is very much his own man and unwilling to compromise. You can see that from the turnover of jobs he has had. In the wrong environment, people can find it hard to work with him. He pushes you so hard and that can be to the detriment of your own enthusiasm. It is a make-or-break scenario."
To a certain extent, this is a good thing. One's reminded of Jim Telfer laying into the Lions pack and telling them he's the judge. A good coach is not just a judge though; he's also a salesman. Should Eddie Jones push the players as hard as he can, harder than they think they can endure? Duh. Is it going to work if the players don't understand what Jones think he's getting from it or see what they're getting from it? No. Does it sound like Eddie's definitely one hundred per cent going to ensure they do get it? Hmm. Hmmm. HMMMM. It's probably quite a small chance, and nothing in life is guaranteed, but it is a bigger chance than I'd like.
If things could go wrong with those below him, there is even bigger potential for them to go wrong with those above. We already know that Jones isn't too impressed with the structure of English rugby which as far as I'm concerned, just goes to prove he's a sensible chap. If he means to put words into practice and try to start changing how the whole organisation works though, rather than merely sharpening the pointy end, then he may find himself running into a metaphorical pointy thing himself. Or maybe trying to insert one into the Teflon Don. I'm never going to tell a man not to fight for the betterment of English rugby but Jones would be advised to tread very carefully here.
If no culture clash or internecine conflict intervenes, what can we expect from Eddie Jones? Anyone expecting a guaranteed attempt at sexy rugby would be well advised to read this article by Dean Ryan - he will have no problem in deciding his team is not up to an expansive game plan and that victory lies in grinding away. He's also successfully worked with Jake White, in case further evidence is needed.
Before anyone says it - yes, England have looked good playing expansive rugby at times recently. Yes, we have no shortage of speed merchants who like to see the game played wide and there's a case to be made for England building a team to exploit that. The problem is that while we have the speed merchants, we have a problem when it comes to the technicians and generals needed to create the space out wide to begin with. Disagree? Comment please. Come at me and all that waffle.
Expansive or not, Jones likes big back lines. Look at the 2003 Australia back line. Wendell Sailor? Big. Stirling Mortlock? Big. Lote Tuqiri? Big. Larkham was pretty big for a fly-half as well. The 2007 back line he ran for Jake White was along similar lines as well. To date, he's usually put out a playmaking 12 and some big lads with a bit of toe and decent hands. If he sticks to type, that's good news for Manu Tuilagi, and not so good news for Jonathan Joseph... or most of the current England back line, in fact, which is quite small. Would he prefer Rokoduguni and Yarde to May and Watson? Time will tell.
He likes his sides to be technically adept and he likes them to keep the ball in play - Lancaster has tried to build in this direction, with mixed results. He played with two opensides in the 2003 World Cup final. If I could, I'd tell him that over here, Robshaw and Wood are considered opensides and nothing need changing there, simply to see the look on his face. I suspect his priorities will be to build a scrum so steady you could use it as a table for Christmas dinner, a line-out of similar reliability (I see some quite boring drill sessions in the England players' future), find a back row with pace and breakdown ability as well as an inside-centre who can distribute, and then work on the England players' handling and ability to use space. Minor things, really. No big sweat. I'm sure Lancaster never considered them... wait, no, most of them appeared on Lancaster's list, with mixed results. The set-piece can be fixed quite easily I suspect, particularly if Jamie George keeps up his form and comes into the team. Henry Slade might be odds-on to be England's starting inside-centre next Six Nations. Matt Kvesic and Will Fraser have big opportunities to become part of the team but neither seems as guaranteed to me as Slade, perhaps unfairly. The intelligent use of space... well. One thing at a time.
The main thing we expect from Jones though is success. He's had plenty of it, from the upwards curve of Japan that thrust him back into the rugby world limelight with that victory, to his initial successes back in Australia back at the turn of the millennium. He's had his failures too - just ask Queensland rugby fans - but that does mean he's erratic and prone to getting lucky, or a man who's learned the most essential lessons before coming here? This job is arguably going to answer that question for many; this will probably be his defining moment. Success, and he joins rugby's greats - particularly if he can go back to Japan in 2019 and win the World Cup there. Fail, and there will be no second chance to do so, or cast off the aspersions that he's just the man who inherited Rod MacQueen's hard work. There is everything to play for.
There is everything to play for with England's players too. They have a new coach to please now; a demanding, exacting coach looking for outstanding rugby players and workers to come and fulfil his vision and make them winners. Everything starts with the player's desire to be among that number.
After that, it's up to Eddie Jones. Good luck.
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