Ollie Phillips: England need change but that doesn’t mean sacking Eddie Jones; France to wreak havoc on Scotland; and Lions pecking order
In the space of a few days England went from brilliant, devastating and clinical against France to devoid of ideas against Ireland.
Credit to Ireland for well and truly doing a job on England last weekend. They didn’t just beat Eddie Jones’s side, they thrashed them 32-18.
This is a team that talks about wanting to be the best in the world but has finished fifth in the Six Nations.
It’s very disappointing, it’s concerning and something has to change – at the very least the mood music.
I’m not in favour of sacking Jones at this stage. England won last year’s Six Nations, they won the Autumn Nations Cup and they reached the last World Cup final.
Jones has a pretty good record, even if performances haven’t always matched the results.
But I do think he needs to be challenged from within. From the outside, it feels like it’s Eddie’s way or the highway.
Yes, you need clarity of vision and purpose, but coaches need to be open to being challenged.
To me, England look over-coached. If Plan A doesn’t work, they don’t know how to come up with a Plan B.
How many of England’s coaches are challenging Jones? I’d hazard a guess that it’s not many.
France to wreak havoc on Scotland
I love watching this France side play – they remind me of Les Bleus of 20 years ago.
And never more so than in last week’s nail-biting win over Wales. What a spectacle.
They were fortunate that Wales opened the door but they were so clinical when they did.
France just now need to beat Scotland by 21 points – and earn a bonus point – on Friday night to pip Wales to the Six Nations title.
This is an unfamiliar pressure for them. I think they’ll win the match, but whether they do it by the margin they need is another matter.
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I really think it could be a deciding factor in this team’s development. Can they wreak havoc and destroy Scotland, or will they capitulate?
The Scots have played some great rugby and have Finn Russell back in what is a strong squad.
This France team feels different to previous incarnations. They want to win the 2023 World Cup on home soil and are going in the right direction.
They found a way to get the result they needed under pressure against Wales and my feeling is that they will do it again.
England stars plummet in Lions pecking order
This Six Nations Championship has seen a number of players stake their claims for a place on the British and Irish Lions tour to South Africa this summer.
For Ireland, Tadgh Beirne has been awesome, Robbie Henshaw outstanding and Hugo Keenan imperious.
Welsh players have also put their hands up, particularly the electric Louis Rees-Zammit but also Dan Biggar, who must be in with a chance of starting at fly-half ahead of Owen Farrell and Johnny Sexton.
There’s usually a bolter and I think it could be Sam Simmonds. His England coaches may not pick him but you can’t ignore someone who scores at the same rate as Shane Williams – from No8.
At the start of the tournament there would have been a lot of England players in Lions contention, but that number has shrunk.
On a call with Williams, Mike Tindall, Maggie Alphonsi and Nolli Waterman last week, Maro Itoje and Anthony Watson were the only two whose inclusion in the XV we all agreed on.
For World Cup finalists just 18 months ago, that’s an incredible fall from grace.
Former England Sevens captain Ollie Phillips is the founder of Optimist Performance, experts in leadership development & behavioural change. Follow Ollie on Twitter and on LinkedIn.