Eddie Jones: 'No one thinks England can win the Six Nations so we have an opportunity to hunt other teams down'

Eddie Jones was defiant in the face of critics writing off England’s prospects of defending their Six Nations title due to a mounting injury toll, declaring that he is completely satisfied with the shared club-country English system compared to the set-up in Ireland where the national coach has far more control over rest periods for players.

The midnight hour was approaching on Wednesday when Jones finally got round to signing off on the last name in his 35-man squad - "Version 26," according to the head coach, "one of the most difficult I have had to put together." Injuries due to the rigours of the club campaign have restricted choices, leading to eight uncapped players being named, but despite those pressures and the underperformance of the Premiership clubs in Europe, Jones has declared England’s preparation is fit for purpose.

“We don’t have any excuses,” said Jones, before sardonically debunking any notion of inherent superiority elsewhere.  

“Ireland are dominating Europe, their sides are going well. They have this central contracting system that allows them to have their players at their peak. As you can see we’ve got 13 players out so we have got no hope. If I say that Ireland have an advantage that I am saying that we have an excuse. We have got what we want. We have done well with our system and we will continue to do well with it.

"It [Europe] doesn’t affect international form. I’m excited by our prospects particularly as we have been written off. No one thinks we can win the Six Nations so we have got an opportunity to hunt the other teams down.”

Despite a glut of injuries at loosehead in particular, causing Jones to call-up effective sixth and seventh choices - uncapped duo, Exeter Chiefs’ Alec Hepburn and Lewis Boyce of Harlequins - there is complete faith in the pathway system in England that enables the head coach to have confidence about pitching one of these players straight on to the replacement bench for the opening game against Italy in Rome on February 4 as understudy to Mako Vunipola.

The same would be true of 20-year-old Bath No8 Zach Mercer or Exeter's Sam Simmonds, 23, who are well-placed to step up for the injured Billy Vunipola, much as 19-year-old Saracens’ lock, Nick Isiekwe, has already made the transition, making his debut against Argentina last summer.  

“The English pathway is working, 100% agree,” said Jones. “The development of young players in England is very good and the talent coming through is excellent. You have talent that comes into the room at this level and once you get in the room it’s how hard you work and how much you want it and how much effort you are prepared to put in.

"These boys have all got talent. There are another 35 players in England who have the talent to play international rugby. It’s whether they’ve got the desire, the ability to dig deep when it hurts.

"Boyce is a tough boy, wants to make it, a good low tackler but has some work to do on his scrummaging. I like his attitude. We’ll get both of them into camp and have a look. We’ll definitely have to name one of them.”

Jones is without four looseheads – Joe Marler (banned for six weeks) while Ellis Genge, Matt Mullan and, most recently, Beno Obana, are injured.

“What loosehead props are required to do now is amazing,” said Jones. “You’ve got someone like Mako Vunipola who is 125kgs, big enough to be a Sumo wrestler. He makes 20 tackles a game, carries the ball 10 times, cleans out 20 times, scrums 15 times, lifts in the line-out 18 times. What those guys do now, compared to what a prop did 10 years ago, has increased at least two-fold.

"So because of that, they’re in pain the whole time. So the test is the mental part of it, whether they can keep doing that. Whether they can get off the floor quickly and get back in the defensive line. It’s not about talent.”

For all that Jones has had to reach deep into the England locker to flesh out his resources, the starting XV at the Stadio Olimpico will be familiar with a thread running through from Dylan Hartley, confirmed as captain by Jones, through a second-row permed from Maro Itoje, Courtney Lawes and Joe Launchbury with a back-line that features the likes of Ben Youngs, George Ford, Owen Farrell and Mike Brown.

There are various niggles that need sorting. Brown has had blurred vision and will not train properly until the end of the week in the Algarve, likewise his Harlequins’ team-mate Chris Robshaw as he recuperates. The five-day camp will be split between heavy-duty conditioning work at the start before England move on to team drills in the latter part of the week.

Worcester centre Ben Te’o, who has not played since October because of an ankle injury, is included and expected to train while Exeter wing Jack Nowell will be tried as an outside centre. “It just gives us more options and Jack would become a great squad player for us,” said Jones.

Only two scrum-halves are named as per usual, Ben Youngs and Danny Care, although up-and-coming Gloucester No9, Ben Vellacott, who has played for Scotland Under-20s, has been included in the 45-man Elite Player Squad.

Despite the injuries, Jones is upbeat, responding to a question asking if England were coming into this tournament as powerfully as the last two tournaments which they have won.

“I think so, definitely,” said Jones.