THE mood music emanating from Eddie Jones was up-tempo as he announced his first pared-down training squad of the season with the 12 month countdown to the 2019 World Cup underway.
As England’s band-leader conducted his first main Press conference of the new campaign at Twickenham he made it clear that he didn’t want his decision to axe Danny Cipriani from the 36-man contingent to sound a discordant note.
Fat chance. The news that the controversial fly-half was surplus to requirements was like a prolonged raspberry drowning out the lead soloist, but Jones was not going to let it...