Michael Lyangh opined that Ritchie acted with undue haste when got the ‘last man standing’. He also excluded a wider selection by veering from 1 extreme in Lancaster (no In’al exp) to the other with Jones.

He might, for instance, have considered the likes of S15’s Jamie Joseph or Dave Rennie. Hungry coaches on the up with S15 success & from within a NZ coaching system which has cohesion, unity, innovation & supplied 7 WC coaches.

ML also reckoned that Ritchie seems to have based his pick of Jones on THAT win v Japan in the WC… like a few others?

Well, it was 1 off game… & Japan didn’t get out of the group! So, some food for thought @ least.

Campese likened Jones to Lancaster in that they were both school teachers & that the latter (& former?) was robotic in his style of play. Although Japan didn’t look too robotic to me in their win v SA.

Anyway, Jones has it all to do & another Jones, the ‘Welsh’ variety from the (you’ve guessed it) S Times expressed the view that Eddie talked a good game (ironic or what?) & that the wiley, experienced 1 had it all to do.

Well, again, he has ‘has it all to do’. For me Eddie has no room for failure & he’s right to look no further than Scotland nxt up & whom, I expect, won’t be easy beats.

Jones does express views like a chameleon & a politician & comes across as somewhat smug to me. All that doesn’t matter… if he wins. To do that he’s need more than playing to ‘England’s traditional strengths. He must surely expand the forwards’ skill base & get the back line straightening their attack (are you reading this Jack Knowle?) & have more ‘moves’ in their bag of tricks. Basic accuracy & option tacking might be a good start too.

Then he can pick a team to play a better, rounded game… & by all accounts, sweat them like piglets in practise.

Unless he dose so… yikes! Esp as he’s capitulated to the ‘no off shore’ stance!

Seriously though, he should remove the whole coaching team which is contaminated with failure.

They backed the discredited Lancaster in his breakdown moments, e.g., playing Burgess in the WC & dropping his established 1st choice fly1/2 Ford (even though somewhat overrated) for the moribund Farrell… for the ‘biggest game in their history’!

Clean slate required.

Exciting times for English rugby I hope, interesting to see if this performance director role comes about as well. Hope he moves fast with selecting a coaching team to give themselves time to establish a clear gameplan they want to go forward with, something sorely lacking before. As said above if he does fancy some of the U20 guys there is some real talent available depending on how he wants to play.

My big fear is that his tenure becomes nothing more than a series of acrimonious battles with the clubs and the RFU. As we all know he’s not one to shy away from an argument and is very much his own man.

If an amnesty can be established then I can see him quickly re-establishing England as a force to be reckoned with,particularly with the right coaching staff and the wealth of talented young players available.

Those who should fear the reaper: the three stooges left over from the previous coaching group, Haskell, Parling,T Youngs,Robshaw,Barritt,Tuilagi (until he develops a greater appreciation of team play),Cole.

Those with a chance to impress: Itoje,Ewers,Mullan,Sinckler,Daly,Hill,Kvesic,Fraser,Cooper-Woolley, Slade,Burrell.

New captain: Pass.

Roll on the 6N!

But my word, can you imagine the pre match verbals between Jones and Gatland? It might be more entertaining than the match itself!

Having rightly fingered the 6n for being too defence orientated I really hope he sticks to his principles and develops an attacking game for England.

Good appointment by England, which isn’t the easiest thing for me to say. Finally Eng put a real coach in charge, it was fun while it lasted. At least maybe I get to enjoy the all out war with the Prem sides :-)

I personally don’t think there was much wrong with the England sides that were picked, as I have said before it was the lack of something different or any game changers on the bench and Lancasters lack of ability to back a player who had onwe bad game, Luther Burrell anyone?

For me Cipriani needs to be around the squad, Itoje, Wade, Elliott Daly, Henry Slade, Waldrom (From the bench in lieu of Vunipola and Morgan), Steffon Armitage or if the RFU are willing to not bend about the foreign player rule a number 7 who can do his job.