RFU produce a stunning vote of confidence in Eddie Jones despite an underwhelming Six Nations

Eddie Jones has received an astonishing vote of confidence from his RFU bosses who insist they are ‘encouraged by the solid progress’ England have made despite another underwhelming Six Nations.

Head coach Jones could only lead his team to two wins from five Championship matches for the second successive year which meant a third-place finish in 2022.

The pressure is growing on Jones, but the Australian will not be removed from his position with 18 months to go until the 2023 World Cup in France.

That much was made clear on Sunday afternoon when the RFU released a statement backing Jones to the hilt.

An RFU spokesman said: ‘Eddie is building a new England team and against a clear strategy, we are encouraged by the solid progress the team has made during this Six Nations campaign.

‘Eddie and his team of coaches and players will conduct a full review as is normal after each tournament. The RFU advisory panel, which consists of board and executive members, former players and coaches along with Eddie, will also undertake a debrief to discuss the strong positive steps forward during this campaign and the areas we need to address.

‘The advisory group has been in place since 2019 and it meets regularly both during and after each tournament to evaluate clear targets and progression.

‘The RFU continues to fully support Eddie, the coaching team and players and we are excited about the summer tour and the progress to rebuild a winning England team.’

Jones lead his team to just two wins in this year’s Six Nations but he will stay on 

England will head to Jones’ homeland of Australia this summer with the 62-year-old needing results and quickly to show the RFU are right to show him such unequivocal support.

The RFU might talk of ‘solid progress’ but the reality is England have serious work to do if they are to trouble the best teams in the world in France in 2023.

Their latest defeat came at the hands of Les Bleus in Paris as Fabien Galthie’s side sealed a first Grand Slam and Championship title since 2010 with a 25-13 victory.

Asked what his message was to England fans who have questioned his suitability to lead the team into the next 18 months, Jones responded: ‘They’ve got to have some faith.

The RFU have said they are ‘encouraged by the solid progress the team has made’

‘I think I’ve done a reasonable job for England. We’re going through a period now where we’re rebuilding the team and it takes time.

‘Look at the French team, it took them three years to win the Championship. We’ve rebuilt the side from the last Six Nations. I think the progress is very positive.

‘The results aren’t the results we’d like. We’d all like to be winning tournaments and be at the top of the table, but we’re not quite good enough to do that now.

‘But within the next 12 to 14 months when we prepare for the World Cup, we will be.’

Jones has reiterated his belief throughout the Six Nations that England are on the right track and he continued: ‘Am I pleased with the job I’m doing? I’m not pleased with the results.

‘Do I think I’m coaching well? One hundred per cent. I think I’m coaching well and sometimes you don’t get the results. I’ve coached for long enough to know this is all about rebuilding a team.

Jones believes England can improve with the likes of Marcus Smith (left) set to increase their experience

‘Rebuilding a team at international level is a complex and intriguing project, particularly when you’re coaching a team like England where the expectation is so high.

‘I couldn’t be more excited about the prospects for this team.’

Asked if he had enough time before the 2023 World Cup – which will take place in France – to turn England’s fortunes around, Jones said: ‘One hundred per cent. We’ve got 12 Tests before the World Cup and if you look at that, it means guys like Freddie Steward, Marcus Smith and Harry Randall are going to increase their Test experience by 100 per cent in that period.

‘There is a great learning experience for them. I think the timing for our team going into the World Cup is very good.’