• Eddie Jones: England coach’s highs and lows

    We take a look at the best and worst moments of Eddie Jones' England tenure following his contract extension.
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    Eddie Jones has the best win ratio of any England coach, but the biggest prize eluded him last year.

    England have won 42 of their 54 games (78 per cent) since Jones’ appointment was confirmed in 2015.

    On Thursday, the Rugby Football Union announced the 60-year-old had agreed a new deal that will run until the end of the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France.

    We take a look at the highs and lows of Jones’ time in charge.

     

    HIGH – A 2016 GRAND SLAM

    Jones’ first tournament was a resounding success as England beat Scotland, crushed Italy and then edged past Ireland and Wales in the Six Nations.

    A 31-21 triumph over France delivered the Six Nations and a first Grand Slam in 13 years.

    “I’m very proud of the boys,” Jones told BBC Sport. “It’s a great achievement by the team. I always had confidence in them.”

    HIGH – A 3-0 SERIES WHITEWASH DOWN UNDER

    Later that year England headed to Jones’ homeland for a three-Test series, and the tremendous start continued for the former Wallabies coach.

    Having scored 39 points in Brisbane, a record for England in Australia, a 23-7 victory in Melbourne earned Jones’ side their first series success on Wallabies turf.

    After a 44-40 win completed a series sweep, England captain Dylan Hartley said: “We can all be proud of what we have achieved.”

     

    LOW – IRISH END WINNING RUN

    England arrived in Dublin in March 2017 seeking both a second successive Grand Slam and a world-record 19th straight victory.

    Yet Ireland had other ideas, overwhelming the visitors and claiming a 13-9 win as Jones tasted defeat for the first time.

    “I take full responsibility, I didn’t prepare the team well and we will respond in the future,” Jones said.

     

    LOW – FIVE-GAME LOSING STREAK

    Fast forward 15 months and things felt very, very different for Jones’ side as they lost a fifth game in a row, going down 23-12 to South Africa.

    England had lost the last three games of that year’s Six Nations – beaten by Scotland, France and Ireland – before back-to-back defeats at the start of the three-Test series in South Africa.

    “We’re a bit like an old car at the moment – you fix one bit and another part breaks down,” said Jones, who saw his team round out the tour with a 25-10 victory in Cape Town.

    HIGH – OUSTING THE ALL BLACKS

    No one had beaten New Zealand at a World Cup in a dozen years, yet the back-to-back champions were stunned 19-7 in the 2019 semi-finals.

    It was perhaps the finest performance of the Jones era, Manu Tuilagi’s early try setting England on their way to a famous victory over the All Blacks.

    “They’ve been a great team so we had to dig really deep to beat them,” said Jones, whose side advanced to a final against South Africa…

     

    LOW – FALLING FLAT IN THE FINAL

    A week later England were unable to conjure up another spectacular performance in Japan as South Africa’s 32-12 victory meant they took home the Webb Ellis Cup.

    Jones’ side were simply not at the races, a raft of handling errors blighting their performance.

    “That’s the great thing about rugby; one day you’re the best team in the world and the next a team knocks you off,” Jones said.

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