Whenever England flatter to deceive the mind drifts back to Brighton sea front. The date was 19 September 2015 and the beach was packed with fans awaiting the World Cup pool game between South Africa and Japan. Not a soul – even in Hove, actually – gave the Brave Blossoms any chance of overcoming the mighty Springboks.

Aside, that is, from one man. It emerged afterwards that Japan’s head coach, a certain Eddie Jones, had been plotting how to win this particular fixture for two years. He knew South Africa would be bigger and stronger but, despite suffering a stroke in 2013 that put him in hospital for six weeks, he had worked tirelessly to ensure his men were smarter, more technically accurate and ready to go the distance, physically and mentally.

Related: Six Nations 2019 verdict: Guardian writers on their highs and lows

On the morning of the game Jones had a coffee with his 26-year-old captain, Michael Leitch. “I said: ‘Look, mate, we’ve got nothing to lose. If you think we should have a go, have a go.’” Sure enough, with South Africa leading 32-29, Leitch declined a late kickable penalty in favour of chasing one of the greatest wins in rugby history.

After Karne Hesketh had scored in the corner to seal a storybook 34-32 victory even the seen-it-all Jones looked slightly taken aback. “I had to look at the score at the end to see if it was true or not,” he said. “Normally it’s like the horror story. The woman goes for a shower at midnight and you know what’s going to happen next.”

When it comes to tailoring teams specifically for World Cups, very few can match Jones’s CV. That is why the Rugby Football Union paid him the big yen to perform the same trick in Japan this autumn. It is also why no one will be rushing to write off England now. If he brings home the Webb Ellis Cup in early November no one will be bothered about England’s failure to win the last two Six Nations, their recent propensity for blowing big leads or their head coach’s Marmite personality.

Could it be, though, that those last two things are linked? Jones is such a dominant character and stubborn competitor that everything carries his imprint. Mood-wise he can also blow hot and cold, just like his team on the field. Zen-like calm is not always his default setting and the past would suggest he works best with strong-minded people unafraid to overrule him occasionally.

Related: No more heroes? Alun Wyn Jones stands tall even in these cynical times | Kevin Mitchell

Which brings us back to Leitch. Anyone who has seen Japan play knows the flanker is an inspirational figure; at times he makes even the great Alun Wyn Jones appear a dilettante. Remember when the Brave Blossoms came to Twickenham this season and were leading after 58 minutes? Leitch was at the centre of everything, scoring an excellent individual try for good measure and visibly rousing all those around him.

Every team craves a talisman with such qualities and, sure enough, every World Cup-winning side in the professional era has had one: Richie McCaw, John Smit, Martin Johnson, John Eales, Francois Pienaar. The common denominator? All were forwards at the heart of the action, perfectly placed to put a guiding hand on the tiller when required.

Most world champions have also possessed a consummate fly-half, authoritative without, crucially, being burdened by the captaincy. Which raises the question now facing Jones: does his leadership chain of command need tweaking? Clearly it is not Owen Farrell’s fault alone that England have surrendered significant leads in five of his 12 Tests in charge – twice in South Africa, once against New Zealand last autumn and more recently against Wales and Scotland. That said, an awful lot is being asked of one player. World-class kicker, tactical hub and defensive warrior would be enough for most people without having to charm the ref, engage the media and be a father confessor to younger players as well.

Related: Women’s Six Nations team of the tournament: all-conquering England dominate

The case for transferring the captaincy to a pack member is certainly supported by history. Every recent Six Nations champion has been led by a forward – Alun Wyn Jones, Rory Best, Dylan Hartley, Paul O’Connell, Sam Warburton – while the British and Irish Lions have opted for a similar policy. With Hartley recovering from knee surgery and no longer certain of his starting place, making an early start to the Maro Itoje era would not be entirely illogical.

Itoje will be 25 in October, a year younger than Leitch was in 2015. Jones keeps calling Farrell a young captain but he will be turning 28 in Japan. It would be a significant tweak to install Itoje – or even his Saracens teammate Jamie George – but worth the risk if it helps England become even slightly more composed under persistent pressure and leads to them kicking away slightly less ball.

By common consent there is no reason England cannot be highly competitive at the World Cup with a steelier defence – they conceded almost as many tries inside 50 minutes against Scotland as Wales did in the entire championship – and sharper thinking. If Jones were to promote Itoje and invite him to follow Leitch’s example, it might just prove his biggest masterstroke since that sunny afternoon in Brighton four years ago.

The Breakdown: sign up and get our weekly rugby union email.

Head start

After the thrills and spills of the Six Nations a three-day meeting in Paris this week to discuss injury prevention is a reminder that sporting excellence can exact a heavy price. Unions are being invited to make evidence-based law proposals that, in time, could lead to important changes to the shape of the game.

Rushing to premature conclusions, however, is not the way forward, as shown by the recent study of the brain of a deceased former Australian Rules footballer with a lengthy history of concussion. Ross Grljusich, who died last year at the age of 77, was also a former boxer and suffered from dementia for many years.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, analysis of his brain by pathologists has found no sign of the neurodegenerative condition known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). It does not necessarily refute the US study that reported finding CTE in 110 of 111 brains of deceased former American football players but it does emphasise that the debate around concussion remains complex.

One to watch

Anyone in the north of England – or the south of Scotland – whose appetite for rugby has been heightened by last Saturday’s extraordinary Calcutta Cup game should take a trip to Newcastle this Saturday. The Falcons are taking on Sale Sharks at St James’ Park, where they almost trebled their record attendance figure when 30,174 watched last season’s “Big One” against Northampton.

Newcastle’s special black-and-white striped shirts will also feature a tinge of tartan in support of the My Name’5 Doddie Foudation, set up by the former Newcastle favourite Doddie Weir to fund research into motor neurone disease. Tickets are available by calling 0871 226 6060 or visiting the Falcons website.