Jones credits veterans for second tour triumph Down Under

SYDNEY : England coach Eddie Jones credited his experienced players for guiding a young squad to a series triumph in Australia, which they clinched with a 21-17 third test victory at Sydney Cricket Ground on Saturday.

Jones balanced an increasingly youthful backline with an experienced pack as tourists bounced back from losing the first test to beat the Wallabies 2-1 and secure a second straight series triumph in Australia after 2016.

"Really pleased with the leadership of the team, Courtney (Lawes) and Owen (Farrell) and (Ellis) Genge and Jack Nowell particularly really set the platform for a young team," he told reporters.

"Again, last 20 minutes of the game, we've got six players with under 10 caps so their contribution to the team has been outstanding all tour.

"When you fight like that and win a game like that, it's a real achievement but all the credit goes to the leadership group."

Jones said the success Down Under was harder than the 3-0 sweep in 2016, when England arrived as Six Nations Grand Slam champions, and augured well for the development towards next year's World Cup.

"We're nurturing this team at the moment, we've got a good group of senior players and we've got all these young guys coming through," he added.

"We lost the first test because we didn't have enough time on the training paddock but as the tour went on, there was more cohesion.

"The result is always important but the development of the team, especially now when we're in the last 12 months of this World Cup cycle - it was crucial we got it right."

Jones also thought Australia, who he coached from 2001 to 2005, were also coming together ahead of the World Cup in France.

"You can see how they're trying to play," he said. "They've got plenty of