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Eddie jones I will be delighted if England supply most of the team for next year’s British and Irish Lions tour South Africa.
Jones’ men will have a further opportunity to underscore their credentials to participate in the combined team’s test series against world champions Springboks when they face France in the inaugural Fall Nations Cup final at Twickenham on Sunday.
The England coach believes that a strong contingent of red roses in South Africa will allow him to further prepare for the 2023 World Cup in France when he takes England on a two-round tour of Canada and the United States in July.
“We see this Lions tour as an opportunity for us to grow another layer of depth,” said Jones, whose team was overwhelmed 32-12 by the Springboks in last year’s World Cup final in Japan.
“When I say that I wish we had 20 players on the Lions tour, in a way it is almost selfish because we would like to have the opportunity to attract younger guys to create more depth in the (England) team.” the veteran. Australian coach.
“But we have this game on Sunday and then the Six Nations, so there are still a lot of balls to face before we get to that team headache.
France are the only team to have beaten Six Nations champions England so far this year, winning 24-17 in Paris in February.
But the French team that takes the field on Sunday will have little connection with that team, with the XV starting with just 68 games between them.
The fact that France is fielding such an inexperienced team is due to a player release agreement with the top 14 clubs that limits individual player participation in a reorganized year-end schedule created in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
France, however, have won the last two U-20 World Championships and team principal Raphael Ibáñez was enraged at suggestions that the team selected by Fabien Galthie meant that this latest Anglo-French clash had been devalued.
“We read headlines that said ‘England’s showdown turned into a sham.’ I can tell you that our players are worthy of the cap they are winning,” said Ibanez, a former France captain.
Points difference was the only thing that separated the teams in this year’s Six Nations, with former French scrum-half Galthie insisting: “We will be ready on Sunday, I can assure you we will be ready.”
