Eddie Jones refuses to answer questions over his future after England defeat

Eddie Jones refused to answer questions over his future after England slumped to a third-place finish in the Guinness Six Nations but accepted his performance as head coach has not been good enough.

France were crowned Grand Slam champions to claim their first title since 2010 after emerging emphatic 25-13 winners in Paris, although a jittery performance caused by the nerves of the occasion prevented them from pulling clear at any stage.

It is the third time in five years that England have ended the tournament nursing three defeats, a poor return that raises questions over Jones’ suitability to continue as head coach just 18 months out from the World Cup.

But he insisted it is up to Rugby Football Union chief executive Bill Sweeney to decide if he should continue.

“That is not a question I need to answer. I just do my job. It’s a question for other people to answer. I am not even thinking about that,” Jones said.

“I’m disappointed. Disappointed for the fans, for the players. I obviously haven’t done a good enough job, I accept that, but we’re moving in the right direction. The results aren’t good enough. When you rebuild a team it takes time.”

England’s battling qualities that have been evident throughout the Six Nations prevented France from accelerating clear and early in the second half they dominated, scoring a try through Freddie Steward.

But Antoine Dupont replied with a classy try to wrestle back control and although the visitors stayed in the fight by showing admirable resilience, they lacked the firepower to dent a robust defence for a second time.

“France are deserved champions of the Six Nations, they are the best team, but we had enough chances to win that game, we just didn’t put them away. We were not quite