IT is difficult to take issue with Eddie Jones because 16 months into his tenure as England coach he has been as sure-footed as a mountain goat. England have achieved 16 wins on the trot on his watch, just two short of New Zealand’s world record – and aim to make it 17 as they host perennial Six Nations tail-enders Italy at Twickenham today. Should they succeed it will leave Jones with enough credit in the bank to launch his own currency.
However, no sooner had he announced his team to take on the Azzurri than Jones expressed his sympathy for Claudio Ranieri, the Italian coach s...