Eddie Jones has revealed that he will use the level of preparation that the US Navy Seals used in their hunt for Osama bin Laden when plotting England’s approach to the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France.
The England head coach spent two days with the US Navy’s elite fighting force at their base in San Diego earlier in September and learnt how they handled a big setback during the 2011 assignment named ‘Operation Neptune Spear’, which reached a climax with Bin Laden, the Al-Qaeda leader, being killed.
A more volatile game
Jones believes the ability to adjust to a game that is more volatile than ever due to HIAs, yellow cards and injuries has become crucial and he will use this knowledge to prepare for England‘s upcoming Autumn Series Tests as the World Cup lies in wait on the horizon.
“I was lucky enough to spend a couple of days with the Navy Seals and understand how can we prepare the players better to cope with the unexpected. If we train better, we prepare them better,” Jones said.
“You know the Osama thing… they practised that whole project for 12 months for 38 minutes of work. And the first thing they did was wrong. The helicopter hit the wires.
“They had 12 months to prepare, went through it religiously and they still get something wrong, but then they were able to cope with it and get it done within 38 minutes.
“So you look at the analogy with us now, 12 months to the World Cup and we’re playing a game that’s got 35 minutes ball in play.
“The ability to dress-rehearse, prepare the players for what’s coming up, whether it’s the first round, second round, third round, whatever it is, is the opportunity going forward.”
Although his stint with the US special forces has provided Jones with ideas to help England over the 12 months, it was the fickle nature of this year’s Rugby Championship, which was won by New Zealand at the weekend, that illustrated the current landscape on the playing field.
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“We’ve got these extremes at the moment. We want to understand how we play rugby at our best, with our players, and be able to play that game,” Jones said.
“But we need to be able to adapt to a different game. Probably 25 per cent is uncontrollable through sin-bins, HIAs and uneven numbers.
“The game becomes completely different so we need to be able to adapt from our game to the game that’s going to be played at that time.
“That’s hard to do and there aren’t too many teams in the world who can do it. In fact, I can’t name one at the moment. So there’s a great opportunity for us.”
Danny Care has been dropped from Jones’ training squad after being told to rebuild his form at Harlequins following a disappointing tour to Australia in July, while Bristol Bears prop Kyle Sinckler and Exeter Chiefs centre Henry Slade are also absent to focus on their comebacks from injury at their respective clubs.
Exeter back-row Sam Simmonds is present, however, after missing out against the Wallabies due to a hip injury and Jones believes Simmonds will be available for World Cup selection despite signing a deal to join Top 14 outfit Montpellier for next season.
Simmonds selection could set a precedent
England do not select overseas-based players but the apparent green light for Simmonds to represent his country at next year’s World Cup could encourage other players considering a move to France to follow suit.
“As far as I know, the rule is that if you are contracted to an English club and you finish the season with that club and you haven’t signed a contract that starts before the World Cup then you are eligible to play for England,” Jones said.