SIR CLIVE WOODWARD: I'm not sure if Eddie Jones knows his best team

Has Eddie Jones picked an England team who will get back to winning ways in Rome on Saturday and play an attacking brand of rugby? Yes, no question.

But is he anywhere near knowing his very best side and answering some of the questions that are beginning to loom large ahead of next year’s World Cup? I’m not so sure.

Let’s accentuate the positives first. I very much welcome the appearance of Harry Randall at scrum-half, he will bring energy and an increase in tempo that will hopefully ignite both the England back row and Marcus Smith outside him.

Ben Youngs can’t go on for ever. He was OK last week and he is still international class, but we need to know about Randall at some stage and Raffi Quirke below him. Scrum-half is such an important position, you need two or three tried and tested operators there. And Youngs needs to know that he is under serious pressure for his starting spot.

I have long argued for Alex Dombrandt to be given a start at No 8 and am genuinely excited by the attacking possibilities England now have at 8, 9 and 10.

However, I didn’t expect Sam Simmonds to be dropped. I wanted him at blindside where he would prosper in an attack-minded environment. Simmonds is the one England back-rower who can switch positions with ease.

Maro Itoje will do a job at six but I question why you would move the world’s best lock from his specialist position, just as Tom Curry’s forays at No 8 never really worked. Will Itoje be playing six at the World Cup? I will be astonished if he is!

Let’s be quite clear: Itoje is England’s preeminent player, the only member of the team who would make a World XV. It concerns me that he doesn’t seem to enjoy that status.

Take the captaincy. Surely he is the obvious choice in Owen