Eddie Jones raring to go as ‘refreshed’ England enter ‘last chapter’ of his reign

Eddie Jones says he has “never been so excited” in his life ahead of the “last chapter” of his spell as England head coach.

Jones today announced a “refreshed” squad for a training camp in Teddington this weekend, including eight uncapped players and 10 more who made their debut in the summer, while leaving out a series of established internationals such as the Vunipola brothers, George Ford and Jamie George.

Halfway through his second World Cup cycle with England, Jones is seeking young players to make an impact at the tournament, as Tom Curry and Sam Underhill did ahead of the 2019 edition.

Jones was appointed in 2015 after England suffered the disappointment of crashing out in the group stages of a home World Cup. He has enjoyed success, including three Six Nations titles and reaching the World Cup final in 2019.

“Yeah, 100 percent,” said Jones when asked if this was a new chapter for the team. “And it’s the last chapter for me for the next two years. I’ve never been so excited in my life. And I think the squad we’ve assembled is just the start. We’ve got five campaigns and each time we pick the squad we want it to be a bit stronger.

“Next time we’re going to have some of those Lions players who have been left out competing again at their best and the competition is going to get even hotter. It’s a fantastic time to be part of the team.

“Rugby is evolving nicely, it has come through some difficult times and I think it’s evolving nicely, the refereeing is starting to get a little bit more consistent around the breakdown which is allowing teams to play with a bit more freedom and space because the ball is quicker and we want to take the game forward and be the best team in the world.”

Jones also needs to blend his new coaching team, which he described as “an eclectic mix” with Richard Cockerill, Anthony Seibold and Martin Gleeson joining Matt Proudfoot, after the departures of John Mitchell and Simon Amor.

“Their backgrounds are quite diverse, they bring different ideas to the table and they have to add to our game,” said Jones.

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