RFU ‘encouraged’ by England’s Six Nations campaign under Jones

The Rugby Football Union has leapt to the defence of Eddie Jones, insisting the under-fire England head coach has the governing body’s full support and making the remarkable claim it is “encouraged by the solid progress” despite another highly disappointing Six Nations campaign.

Evidence of progress is thin on the ground after England ended the tournament with a 25-13 defeat in France, ensuring a record of just two wins and three defeats, as was the case 12 months ago. The RFU will conduct a debrief into the campaign in the next fortnight and Jones will hold a review with feedback from his assistants and players, but in terms of his future, the mind of the chief executive, Bill Sweeney, is already made up. Indeed, the RFU expressed no disappointment and made no hint of an apology towards England supporters in its statement.

As was the case last year, the debrief will be led by the RFU’s advisory panel which includes Sweeney, the director of performance, Conor O’Shea, and previous England players and coaches, who the union refuses to name. Last year the review lamented a “sub-optimal” campaign and listed a number of excuses for England’s poor performance but Jones emerged blameless.

Stuart Barnes, Andy Goode and Austin Healey are among the former England internationals calling for Jones to be sacked but an RFU spokesperson said: “Eddie Jones is building a new England team and against a clear strategy we are encouraged by the solid progress the team has made during this Six Nations campaign. The RFU continues to fully support Eddie, the coaching team and players and we are excited about the summer tour and the progress to rebuild a winning England team.

“Eddie and his team of coaches and players will conduct a full review