Since losing the 2019 World Cup to South Africa, England’s rugby team have been an uninspiring prospect, said Robert Kitson in The Observer. Their play has been stodgy and risk-averse, their results decidedly mixed. In the Six Nations earlier this year, they slumped to a lowly fifth place – a result that led to calls for the sacking of their coach, Eddie Jones.
But what a transformation has taken place since, said Oliver Brown in The Daily Telegraph. Over the summer, Jones refreshed England’s squad, bringing in a clutch of talented young players – notably the Harlequins fly-half Marcus Smith – and recalibrated his side’s tactics. The results have been plain to see during this autumn’s internationals. Jones’s side have simply been unrecognisable from the “rabble” they resembled earlier this year – in a series of fine performances they have achieved a clean sweep of victories in their three Tests.
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South Africa shouldn’t have lost this, said Stuart Barnes in The Times. Clearly the better side, they scored 18 points in penalties to England’s eight – a difference that normally would result in a comfortable victory. In short, the Springboks “blew it”. Still, Jones deserves applause for adopting more adventurous tactics and selecting with an eye to the future. Finally, his England look like a side worth following.