RFU backs England coach Eddie Jones despite ‘horror’ show in South Africa

England’s 23-12 defeat in Bloemfontein was
their fifth Test loss in a row

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Jones’s side lost the second Test on Saturday against South
Africa – a defeat which sealed the series for the Springboks and
saw England lose a fifth successive match.

The 23-12 defeat in Bloemfontein was described by Jones as “like
a horror movie”, the BBC reports, as England players argued with supporters
after the game.  

After another loss Jones said: “I’m obviously very
disappointed. We started the game well but it was a bit like a
horror movie. It was a like a rerun [of the first
Test]. We were trying to work out a solution and pick
out a plan… [but] as soon as something small happens we don’t
seem to react well.”

Sky Sports reports that the RFU has backed
Jones and there are “no plans to reconsider his contract”. In a
statement the RFU told Sky: “The RFU supports Eddie Jones and his
coaching team.” 

The brief response from the RFU is a “terse statement of
support” for Jones, says The Daily Telegraph’s Gavin Mairs, with the
governing body “stopping well short” of declaring that the
Australian was the right man to lead England to next year’s Rugby
World Cup in Japan. 

England need a reboot

The Guardian’s Robert Kitson adds that the loss
in South Africa has “exposed an unhealthy regime that needs a
drastic reboot”. Kitson writes: “It is reaching a point where their
morale is almost as shaken as it was in the aftermath of the 2015
World Cup. Things do not feel entirely right behind the scenes,
with Jones’s all-pervasive influence at risk of becoming
counter-productive.” 

Meanwhile Tom Fordyce of the BBC asks where has it all gone wrong for Jones and
England? Citing poor defence, indiscipline and too many mistakes
during a year where England also finished a worst-ever fifth in the
Six Nations, Fordyce concludes: “Something has to change for
England. Jones has never had a more challenging task.” 

England are 2-0 down in the three-Test series against the Springboks and
will travel to Cape Town on Saturday looking to restore pride. The
Telegraph says that defeat at Newlands this
weekend would equal the worst run of results since 2006.

Saturday’s
third Test starts at 4.05pm (UK time) and is live on Sky Sports.