Warren Gatland can guide the British and Irish Lions to a sensational series win over world champions New Zealand next year, England coach Eddie Jones claimed yesterday. Jones’s remarks fly in the face of the statistics as no Lions touring side have beaten the All Blacks since 1971 — Carwyn Jones triumphing — and they are unbeaten in 43 home Tests stretching back to 2009.
However, former Australia coach Jones says the All Blacks have weaknesses and there is no better man for the job then Kiwi Gatland, who coached the Lions to a 2-1 series success over Australia in 2013. “There are definite weaknesses in the New Zealand side,” Jones told BBC Sport without specifying what they were.
“The Lions have to attack those weaknesses and then play to their strengths. The Lions have a great chance. Of course it is going to be tough, but out of the four teams (England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland), they can put out a great squad of 35, 36 players more than capable of taking the Kiwis on,” added the 56-year-old Australian.
Jones, who after coaching England to the Six Nations Grand Slam would have been a hot favourite for the coaching post himself but for his commitments to the Rugby Football Union, said Gatland’s knowledge of northern hemisphere rugby after years of coaching Ireland, club side Wasps and now Wales, made him an ideal choice.
“It’s a great appointment,” said Jones, whose next task is the November tests against Fiji, World Cup semi-finalists Argentina and World Cup finalists Australia, who suffered a historic 3-0 home series whitewash earlier this year at England’s hands.
“Warren has done it before, and he has a great appreciation of European rugby. He knows the players in England, Scotland and Ireland — obviously he knows the Welsh players — so he will do a great job.”
World club cup in rugby
nearing a possibility
The idea of a new world club championship inched closer to becoming a reality as part of a new rugby union calendar, according to reports in the British media.
According to the Times, the Premiership, Pro 12, and the French Top 14 leagues are likely to finish in June, aligning with the Super Rugby season, enabling the best European clubs in Europe and their southern hemisphere counterparts to face off once every four years. The Six Nations will not be moved from its traditional February to March slot, the report added.
“Discussions are positive, strong momentum is being generated and all stakeholders are focused on delivering a calendar that is to the benefit of the whole game by the end of the year,” a World rugby spokesperson was quoted as saying by the Times.
The summer tours are also likely to be scrapped the season after the 2019 Rugby World Cup to ensure sufficient rest and recovery time for international players. England head coach Eddie Jones, however, does not expect colossal changes.
“We (Rugby Football Union) have had a number of discussions and obviously there are certain views we think are right for world rugby. I don’t think there are ever going to be massive changes in the schedule,” he told BBC Sport.
Emerging nations such as US and Japan will be given more regular international games, and the British and Irish Lions series will remain in the calendar, according to negotiations led by World Rugby chairman Bill Beaumont. The changes to the global calendar are expected to be tabled in the next council meeting in November, the reports said.
England coach Eddie Jones.
