Friday 20 November 2015 12:12, UK
New England coach Eddie Jones says Bayern Munich boss Pep Guardiola is a major influence.
Jones was confirmed in his new role on a four-year deal early on Friday morning, replacing Stuart Lancaster who stepped down earlier this month following England's disastrous World Cup campaign.
Australian Jones coached Japan during the World Cup, masterminding their stunning victory over South Africa, the greatest upset in World Cup - and arguably rugby - history.
The Cherry Blossoms became the first team to win three of their four pool matches but fail to qualify for the quarter-finals.
In the run-up to the World Cup, Jones spent time visiting Guardiola at Bayern in a bid to expand his knowledge and learn new techniques, and admitted he was hugely impressed with the former Barcelona boss.
"He is the best soccer coach in the world and you always want to learn from the best," he said.
"I watched Bayern train and had a really good meeting with the head coach and I really think we can improve greatly with adjustments in the way we train.
"Rugby and soccer are very similar in that you always want to move the ball into space and Bayern Munich and his previous team Barcelona played the most fantastic passing game you have ever seen. The principles are exactly the same.
"The very best soccer teams vary their depth and formation in order to make the most of the space. So when you get the chance to learn from the best it's a fantastic opportunity."
Jones said the ability to think quickly and adapt plans is key - England were often criticised for failing to do this during the World Cup.
"The main thing we learned this year was that we have to be tactically more flexible," he said. "We need to react to situations on the field and make adjustments to the way we play.
"The soccer approach is called tactical periodisation, in which everything is done in preparation for the game and in order to be tactically aware."
