MY ACCOUNT
Eddie Jones believes that England have a strong squad for the tour of Australia despite injury absences as he highlighted the importance of the upcoming matches ahead of next year’s World Cup.
The three-Test tour begins in Perth on July 2 and England head into it on the back of Sunday’s 52-21 drubbing at the hands of the Barbarians on Sunday.
Significant absentees include Alex Dombrandt, Manu Tuilagi, Sam Simmonds and Kyle Sinckler, leading Jones to recall Billy Vunipola, who was last capped in the 2021 Six Nations, and eight uncapped players have also been selected.
While there are big names absent and uncapped players among the roster, Jones believes that the squad is more than capable of making a positive impression in the tour.
“Though we have ten players unavailable due to injury, we have picked a very strong squad capable of winning the series,” he told a news conference.
“This squad is a real mix of young, talented players and some very experienced, senior players and we’re looking forward to bringing the group together.
“This tour will be a great experience for the group and a crucial part of the team’s work towards the World Cup in 2023. We will continue to develop the base of the squad and how we want to play.
“We’ve put a lot of work into preparing for the tour over the past few weeks but now the hard work really begins when we finally get the squad on the plane and to Australia.”
On the injuries that have plagued the side, he added: “It’s no concern because I can’t control it. We can only pick from the players we have available. And I think generally now in a four-year cycle the only time you get close to having 100 per cent of your is the World Cup, with that three-month lead up.”
Jones’ next big decision is on who will captain the side in the absence of Owen Farrell, and he confirmed that call will be made once the squad arrives in Perth.
“Well once we get into Perth we’ll start preparing and we’ll announce the captaincy in due course,” he added.
