Eddie Jones: England need to take ‘a bit of pain’ with Marcus Smith
Marcus Smith with England head coach Eddie Jones after the Autumn International at Twickenham Stadium, London. Picture date: Saturday November 19, 2022.
Former Australia head coach Eddie Jones has commented on England’s Rugby World Cup campaign and shares his views on Marcus Smith.
Jones resigned from his position as the Wallabies head coach earlier this week after a disappointing World Cup campaign and has since joined Scott Robertson’s Barbarians coaching team to face Wales this week.
Ahead of the clash, Jones was asked to comment on England’s campaign under Steve Borthwick, who replaced Jones as the Red Rose boss in January.
Marcus Smith is ‘not a full-back’
The former England boss was asked about Smith’s shift to full-back during the tournament. The Harlequins star, usually a fly-half, was deployed in the number 15 jumper in France, including the quarter-final against Fiji, but missed the semi-final due to concussion.
“Look at Richie Mo’unga (New Zealand outside-half), he is 29, experienced, and he plays a great World Cup,” Jones said,
“Marcus is 24. He has got a lot of learning to do, but unless he plays, he never gets that learning.
“At some stage, you have got to take a bit of pain if you play a guy like him. He is a good player, a very good player, but he is not a full-back.
“That is up to Steve [Borthwick], but if you want to develop him as a player, of course, he has got to play 10.”
Jones was sacked at the end of 2022 after a poor run of results. He was hugely successful at the start of his tenure, winning three Six Nations titles, a Grand Slam, and reached the 2019 World Cup final.
The 63-year-old was appointed Australia’s head coach for a second time in January 2023, just one month after leaving his role with England.
Ahead of the Barbarians’ clash with Wales in Cardiff on Saturday, he was asked how far he could have taken England at the World Cup; Jones replied: “That’s not a question. That’s a dream.”
On England’s campaign, he added: “They were really competitive. They fought hard and played tough.
“Steve did a really good job; he went back to English rugby, which suited the tournament.”
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