MY ACCOUNT
Eddie Jones declared England’s Test series against Australia a “vital” staging post on the road to the World Cup, as it was revealed the Sydney Cricket Ground will host the potential tour decider.
England trailed home a distant third in the recent Six Nations, winning just two of five matches for the second successive year, and the progress the Rugby Football Union (RFU) would have hoped to witness was difficult to detect.
With the 2023 Rugby World Cup now less than 18 months away, England will be hoping to show significant improvement when they tackle the Wallabies in three July Tests.
The dates and venues for those fixtures were confirmed on Tuesday, with Perth’s Optus Stadium hosting the first game on July 2, before the teams battle at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium seven days later.
Sydney’s SCG will then put on the third game on July 16, with international rugby returning to the famous cricket venue for the first time since 1986.
England last toured Australia in 2016, when Jones’ then Six Nations grand slam winners got up and running with a 39-28 victory at Suncorp Stadium, on their way to a 3-0 series clean sweep.
Jones, England’s Australian head coach, must know there will be pressure on his shoulders if his team fail to perform Down Under this time.
For now, the RFU has his back, with chief executive Bill Sweeney continuing to endorse the 62-year-old’s leadership.
Jones said: “The Australia tour is a great opportunity for growth for this team and a good challenge at the end of the season.
“It will be the first time many of the younger players have toured abroad with England and it will be vital practice and experience ahead of the World Cup, along with the 2023 Six Nations. We last went there in 2016 and had a very successful tour.
“Australia will be a good challenge for this team. They have rebuilt strongly and they are well coached by Dave Rennie. We’re looking forward to getting out there and continuing the development and journey of this England side.”
Wallabies boss Rennie, whose side lost to Scotland, England and Wales on tour last November, is also looking to show that Australia can build momentum for the World Cup in France.
Rennie said: “We talk a lot about wanting to challenge ourselves against the best teams in the world and three Test matches in a row against England is the perfect opportunity to do that.”
