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Eddie Jones: England head coach retains full support of RFU after Six Nations review

The RFU has concluded its Six Nations debrief after England finished fifth in a disappointing campaign; Eddie Jones to continue as head coach and has "full support and backing" of the RFU

Eddie Jones

England head coach Eddie Jones retains the "full support" of the Rugby Football Union (RFU) following the completion of its debrief into the recent Six Nations.

Jones presided over a fifth-place finish for the second time in his Twickenham reign, triggering a review into why the World Cup runners-up and defending champions had under-performed.

"The RFU has concluded a debrief of the Six Nations confirming its full support and backing of Eddie Jones as head coach, while recognising a sub-optimal campaign and the factors that contributed to it," a statement read.

Factoring in points difference, a Championship that was bookended by calamitous defeats to Scotland and Ireland represented England's worst ever Six Nations performance.

"We were all disappointed to finish fifth in the Six Nations," RFU chief executive Bill Sweeney said.

England players are dejected after losing their opening 2021 Six Nations game to Scotland
Image: England players are dejected after losing their opening 2021 Six Nations game to Scotland

"Our track record and results under Eddie meant that we, the players and our fans had much higher expectations.

"Sport is all about fine margins which is why every campaign debrief is invaluable in helping us to learn and improve.

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"Eddie approached this review with a great deal of self-awareness and humility, allowing us to look at every aspect of the tournament to identify every small change we can make in order to improve."

Jones' position has come under heavy scrutiny in the wake of the Six Nations with his contract lasting until the World Cup in France.

"During the Six Nations we were not up to our usual high standards and we recognise that," Jones said.

"The debrief was a valuable process, we all learned a lot from the experience and most importantly we have identified actions to enable the team to move forward positively towards 2023.

"I'm looking forward to the summer tour which will provide a great opportunity to see more of our emerging talent.

"I'm confident our next team will come back stronger this autumn building up to a winning performance in the next Six Nations."

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