As Eddie Jones and England look to make history against Australia at Twickenham on Saturday afternoon, it’s clear to everyone that the English game has had a major overhaul since Jones’ arrival just over 12 months ago.
Should England defeat The Wallabies, it will be the most impressive calendar year in English rugby history. In the professional era of the game, no team (other than England 24 years ago) have gone unbeaten from January to December.
Harlequins winger Marland Yarde will take the place of Elliot Daly, who saw red in last weekend’s victory of Argentina, while Nathan Hughes will make his third appearance, replacing the injured Billy Vunipola who limped off last week – meaning England had to play with just 13 men for almost a quarter of the match.
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Yarde, whose last England appearance was in a 39-28 victory over the Wallabies in Brisbane in the summer internationals, has played down the talk of breaking records, though, and insists they aren’t focussed on them.
“To us it’s just another game. I know it’s cliché but it’s always like that – we take it one game at a time,” he said. “If a record is broken when we are doing it, then great and we’ll celebrate then, but winning is our main aim and that has to come first. We can’t be distracted and that’s what happens when your mind is elsewhere.”
After missing out on last year’s home World Cup and then Lancaster’s subsequent departure, Yarde has found himself a constant figure in Eddie Jones’ selections. He was selected in the Aussie’s initial Six Nations squad at the start of the year, but then found his chances limited. Now, fully fit, Yarde admits he’s finally enjoying his rugby and the challenges he’s facing.
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“This year has been a weird one on a personal level. The first six months or so were frustrating and I couldn’t really stay fit and when I was fit I wasn’t near sharp enough. Maybe I rushed myself and my recovery and my body just said no, I’m not sure. I’m still fairly young, so I need to listen to my body.
“After I had a good run of games in the league I started to feel myself again. I felt fresher, sharper and stronger and I haven’t really looked back. I’m just focussed on staying fit and taking the chances I’m given. I’m enjoying my rugby at the moment, but I know how fast things can change so I remain fully focussed.”
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If the record isn’t in the forefront of the players’ minds, the thought of beating Australia for the fourth time in six months should be enough encouragement. But Yarde warned against complacency and admitted that he thinks it will be their toughest encounter against the Aussies yet.
“Beating Australia 3-0 in the summer series could work in their favour – massively. They’ll still be hurting and will most likely do everything they can not to lose again. They won’t want to see us break a record either. They’ll want to put the summer behind them and we need to make sure we are on our game to stop them.
“That’s why we don’t focus on the records, we’d lose our focus on the game. Australia will be giving it their all and I think this could be our toughest game yet, they’ve looked good in Europe so far so we’ll have to be at the top of our game. I’m confident we’ll be ready and give it everything.”
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Since his appointment as England coach just over a year ago, Jones has transformed English rugby. A disappointing World Cup marked a low-point in the sport, but Jones has revitalised the nation and Yarde admitted he’s rejuvenated him personally, too.
“I’ve grown massively in the last year and some of the credit has to go to Eddie [Jones]. When he arrived he sat us down and told us what he was going to do. He came in with a plan to make English rugby great again. We watched videos of 2002 and went through every tiny bit of detail – that really got to me and made me believe again.
“Stuart [Lancaster] had a different way about him when he was in charge and I think Eddie is what England needed. Stuart was great, don’t get me wrong, I mean he gave me my international debut, he gave me chances, but different players work better under different coaches and I feel like I’m playing my best rugby now.”
