Jones revels in pre-match smoke and mirrors and will be plotting to catch New Zealand off guard in first meeting since 2019 World Cup
Named shirts have made a well-publicised return to Test rugby union this autumn, but Eddie Jones would have gone a step further, as he explained last week ahead of England’s win over Japan.
“If I had my way, the players would have their own [squad] numbers,” he said. “We wouldn’t be worried about who is one to 15. We could name the squad of 23 and work out on the day who starts and who finishes.”
Such an approach, which would mirror football and cannot be too far away, would require players to think on their feet and suss out opposition line-ups once they take the field. It would also offer further scope for smoke and mirrors during the build-up to matches. No wonder Jones likes the idea.
England have retained 25 players for Saturday evening’s match against New Zealand, a fascinating first meeting between the sides since the 2019 World Cup semi-final.