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Eddie Jones has revealed how Liverpool are having a key influence on his England team, explaining how a meeting with the Premier League champions played a role in Jonny May’s wonderful try against Ireland.
Jones met with Liverpool research director Ian Graham to discuss transition play, moving from attack to defense and back, with a particular emphasis on what off-the-ball players do. Jones has previously cited Pep Guardiola for having a significant impact on his team’s selection policy and more recently has been reading Believe Us, a book on how Jürgen Klopp turned Liverpool into English champions, and has started to compile data on how your players perform when not in possession.
In the 18-7 win over Ireland, England had just 39% of the ball, making 246 tackles compared to their opponents’ 73, but they prevailed thanks to two attempts in May. The second came after Ireland missed an attacking lineout before England swiftly flipped the ball from right to left to May, who finished off a memorable attempt on her own 22. Jones believes that was a perfect example of the playing scenarios. of “flipping the switch” that he has introduced into the training coming to fruition.
“I am nominally the change coordinator, but all the coaches do all the work. We just created games that mimic those kinds of situations, ”Jones said. “We had a great meeting with the Liverpool analyst, that’s one area they’re in. We are starting to develop our own database that is helping us in that area that can measure work without the ball. That’s very important, the transition parts, it’s a pretty exciting area for us and it’s nice to see that attempt where we quickly shift the ball to the outside. [for May’s second try].
“[Liverpool], and I think most soccer teams are very advanced in being able to measure the movement of the players off the ball. If you look at any [rugby] statistics you get, only refer to the information about the ball. Let’s say that if Mako Vunipola does 20 tackles and carries the ball three times, for 79 minutes and 45 seconds he is not with the ball. But his movement off the ball is crucial to what we do when we transition.
“What we want the players to do is the obvious, but it is their career to get into position that is really important. We are starting to measure all that, we have three great analysts who analyze that area and give feedback to the players. And then we want players to use their skills. They are the best players in England, we want them to use their skills. England will reach the final of the Fall Nations Cup with a victory over Wales on Saturday, but Jones is suspicious of Wayne Pivac’s team, for whom he believes it will be his “only match of the year”.
He also warned that England will have to adjust to playing at Parc and Scarlets instead of the Principality Stadium, which cannot be used after it has been converted into a temporary hospital. “It’s their only game of the year,” he added. “They are playing in the heart and soul of Welsh rugby, in Llanelli, where they had some of their biggest victories in Welsh rugby. We know that they will be a completely different animal. He’s on a field, not a stadium, so he’s much more open to the elements. Our preparation for that game will have to be absolutely world-class. “
