Eddie Jones looking to push England through the gears as Grand Slam hopes stay alive
England head coach Eddie Jones has suggested that his team could still ‘unlock’ another gear despite cruising to a convincing 31-14 victory over Italy at the Stadio Olimpico on Sunday.
The victory keeps England in the hunt for the Grand Slam after securing bonus-point wins in their first two matches of the Championship. They have now won 12 of their last 13 matches under Jones, with the sole defeat coming against Ireland in Dublin last March.
England were ruthless in the first half against Italy, scoring three tries through Jonny May, Ben Youngs and Elliot Daly, and they were never seriously threatened by the Azzurri. However, Jones was not entirely satisfied with his team’s performance and believes there is still more to come.
‘We haven’t played our best rugby yet’
“I thought we were good in patches but we’re not there yet,” said Jones. “We probably played at about 70 or 80 per cent. We’ve got another gear to go to. There are areas we need to improve on. Our breakdown work wasn’t as sharp as it should have been, our set-piece work was good in patches but we still need to improve our discipline.
“We haven’t played our best rugby yet but it was a good performance against a very committed Italian team. Our defence was very good, we didn’t concede a try and that’s always a positive.
First-half masterclass
England dominated the first half, scoring three tries and controlling possession and territory. May opened the scoring in the seventh minute, finishing off a sweeping move from deep inside their own half. Youngs added a second try 10 minutes later, taking advantage of a poor clearance kick from Edoardo Gori.
Daly’s try came on the stroke of half-time, the wing showing great strength to force his way over after being tackled by Jayden Hayward. Owen Farrell converted all three tries to give England a commanding 21-0 lead at the break.
Comfortable second half
Italy improved in the second half and had the better of the opening exchanges. However, England’s defence held firm and they eventually extended their lead through a Farrell penalty. Substitute scrum-half Willi Heinz added a second penalty late on to seal the victory.
England will now face Scotland at Murrayfield on Saturday, knowing that a victory will keep their Grand Slam hopes alive. Jones is confident that his team can improve further and believes they can still reach their full potential.
Looking ahead to Scotland clash
We’ve just got to keep improving. The next game against Scotland is going to be a massive one. Murrayfield is always a tough place to go but we’re confident we can get the job done.”
Jones also praised the performance of his younger players, who have been given a chance to shine in this year’s Championship. The likes of May, Daly, Maro Itoje and Sam Underhill have all impressed so far, and Jones believes they can be key players for England in the years to come.
England will be hoping to continue their winning run when they face Scotland on Saturday. A victory would keep their Grand Slam hopes alive and would also be a major boost to their confidence ahead of the Rugby World Cup later this year.
Kind regards
C. Dixon.
