The planes wobbled overhead on their descent into Heathrow Airport as Eddie Jones returned to Twickenham on Saturday afternoon. This was a fitting backdrop for the man who operated under a storm cloud for seven years during his tenure as England coach.
Hidden beneath a beanie hat, he hopped off the Japan team bus and shook hands with one of the RFU’s security staff. This was his first time back since he was sacked in 2022, but he didn’t look like someone who wanted to stop and reflect: there were no wistful looks around the cold, empty stands.
Instead, Jones dug his feet into the soggy turf to check the footing. A sharp blast of the whistle and his players jumped to attention. Every order was translated into Japanese by a woman standing next to him.
He whipped out a sheet of notes from his pocket and got to work on his plan to beat England.
Jones, of course, always has a plan. His people skills have been questioned, but everyone in rugby knows that he’s a technical mastermind. At 4.10pm on Sunday, his plan is to inflict a sixth straight defeat on Steve Borthwick’s England. It would rock the RFU hierarchy to its core, two years after they gave him the boot.
England are favourites and they should be too powerful for the Japanese who are known for their short kicks, quick plays and breaks down the short-side. In recent weeks, England’s players and coaches have failed to adapt to the pictures in front of them, so for this match Borthwick has selected his most physical pack to neutralise any high-tempo onslaughts.
Eddie Jones returned to Twickenham for the first time since his England sacking on Saturday
Jones spent seven years as England head coach but will take on his former side on Sunday
His people skills have been questioned, but everyone knows that he’s a technical mastermind
‘Knowing Eddie, he will probably take the game personally,’ prop Ellis Genge said. ‘He’ll have a few trick plays up his sleeve and have his players fired up. I’d love to be a fly on the wall of the Japan changing room. You saw him in 2015 and what he did with that Japan team that beat South Africa in Brighton. You’ve got to have your wits about you (when you play against him).’
Wit has been lacking from England’s game in recent weeks — they have looked like a team fuelled by data, overcoached and unable to feel their way through the final quarter. They have repeatedly coughed up winning positions but against Japan they should be out of sight by half-time.
England captain Jamie George has told his squad to be brave.
It feels as if the same message has been played on repeat throughout the Autumn Nations series. George is the game’s ultimate custodian but the familiar sight of him being subbed around the hour mark makes you wonder how much longer he will hold on to the captaincy role. Could Ollie Chessum be next in line?
The pressure is cranking up. Borthwick has fiddled with his starting XV, reinstating George Furbank and Tom Curry, but George is adamant they will come through the storm. ‘When you get the disappointment of a selection going the wrong way, it can be easy to throw a strop and become selfish,’ he said.
‘There are times where I have been in camps with England where that has happened. At the latter end of Eddie’s era, there was maybe an element of that. At the 2015 World Cup, there was probably a bit of that but the 36 or 37 players that have been involved in this campaign have bought in to what we are doing.’
Victory on Sunday will be an exercise of damage control. It should be a formality, although Jones will have other ideas. He won 73 per cent of his games as England coach and he will relish the thought of another day of destruction on his old stomping ground.
England prop Ellis Genge said that Jones ‘will probably take the game personally’ on Sunday
England are looking to bounce back from five consecutive defeats over the last few months
Genge said he ‘likes’ Jones even though ‘he wasn’t always nice to me’ while with England
‘The English fans will give Eddie the respect he deserves,’ George said. Likely story. As he dried off from the rain at yesterday’s training session, Genge added a dose of reality. The prop made his Test debut under Jones in 2016, experiencing first-hand his tortuous methods.
‘I like the bloke,’ Genge said. ‘He was always — not always actually, he wasn’t always nice to me — but we’ve got a good relationship, I think. He’s a master of the psychological part of player development and man management. Sometimes he gets it wrong. There have been some nightmare stories about him.
‘But he’s a good bloke, man. He’s a good guy. I can’t imagine he’s going to get a cheer when he goes on camera, but he’ll love that part of it, he’ll relish it. It will be all part of the day for him.’
England’s hope is the storm clouds will pass quickly, without leaving too much damage.
