England boss Eddie Jones determined to restore ‘rhythm and flow’ to Test rugby

England head coach Eddie Jones is determined to bring an end to the continuous stoppages that are diminishing the appeal of the game in time for next year’s World Cup.

Jones plans to convene a group of leading coaches, players and referees in the autumn with the aim of removing the repeated pauses in play caused by overuse of the TMO, draconian policing of high tackles, pedantic officiating of the set-piece and drinks breaks.

Union’s declining ball-in-play time was highlighted when Queensland and New South Wales met in a high-octane series decider on Wednesday and Jones admits he has “had enough” of the delays that are harming the spectacle.

When asked if the growing number of stoppages was the biggest issue facing the sport, Jones replied: “Definitely. Definitely.

“We’ve got to keep the game safe, don’t get me wrong, but accidental head contact and this incessant use of the TMO, we’ve got to cut that out.

“We’ve got to get a better balance in the game. We’ve gone to trying to play everything absolutely right like it’s a tennis game.

“Every decision has to be right, but we need to get back to having a rhythm and a flow in the game.

“You watch that Origin game and there was a natural flow and rhythm in it. Rugby, when it’s played at its best and we have the laws at the right level, we get that natural flow and rhythm in the game. But we don’t have it at the moment.

“Every time we get a flow in the game, there’s a stoppage. We go back. Someone has taken out someone.

“We need to get everyone on the same page and start moving towards the game we really want. We’ve just gone too far down one road.

“We can’t blame the referees. The referees, coaches and players need to get together and say ‘this is the game we want’.”

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