RFU chairman won’t give Eddie Jones ‘unconditional support’ to continue as England head coach
Jones is under pressure after a below-par tour
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Your support makes all the difference.Eddie Jones will plan for the autumn reassured by the Rugby Football Union's backing but knowing that another harmful slump could result in Twickenham pulling the trigger.
England's five-Test losing sequence ended with Saturday's 25-10 victory over South Africa in Cape Town but the series had already been conceded in Bloemfontein amid calls for Jones to be removed.
The RFU still views Jones as the right man to steer the nation into next year's World Cup but chairman Andy Cosslett insists decisive action can be taken at any stage between now and Japan 2019 if needed.
Upon returning to England, Jones will present his review of the tour to chief executive Steve Brown before spending a fortnight on holiday in Japan.
“Things happen at the most inconvenient time - that's what life does. There is no time limit and you make decisions on the basis of the evidence or information you have at any given moment,” Cosslett said.
“Hopefully we won't have to face that and we will have a run through to the World Cup. We have shown a lot of confidence in Eddie and we think he is still the man, but we will see where it goes to from here in terms of the next few months.
“You're asking for unconditional support but only my children get that. And even then not always! It's not something you give because you're under assessment the whole time. It's just not what we do.
“Eddie has earned the right to make a strong case for the way ahead. We'll listen to his review of the tour and it will be fascinating to hear what he's got to say. The win in Cape Town was great. It was important and fantastic for the team, for the squad and everyone involved, but you have to keep a sense of proportion about this.”
Jones' relief at Newlands was evident and despite stating he would only be able to enjoy the win for a few hours, it has secured him breathing space for the five-month wait until an autumn that is also launched by a fixture against South Africa.
For Jonny May, England's player of the series who scored their only try in the final Test ever to be played at Newlands before it is pulled down, the victory represents the welcome end to a harrowing period.
“It was awesome. I feel like the team has got its mojo back. In those last 20 minutes we just grew and grew and it felt like the England we are used to playing for. I’m pleased we found it when we needed it,” May said. “There was an awesome feeling in the changing room afterwards because of all the pressure we were under, not just from this tour but also from the Six Nations.
“We were gutted with how the results went in the first two games. This win doesn’t make it okay but we’re in a good place now having won that game. It's a bit of a line in the sand.”
Jones revealed his intention to recruit Scott Wisemantel, the attack coach initially recruited for the South Africa tour only, on a more permanent basis.
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