Eddie Jones says France scrumhalf Antoine Dupont is “a different player” since returning from a serious knee injury.
Speaking on the Rugby Unity podcast, Jones highlighted Dupont’s post-injury adjustment as one of his key takeaways from France’s 48-46 win against England in Paris that saw them retain the Six Nations title.
“I reckon he’s still an outstanding player, but he’s going through that sort of post-ACL where you’re a different player,” said the Japan head coach. “He’s still adapting to a major injury, and so he’s not the force he was.”
Jones also reflected on England, who lost four of five matches – including a historic defeat to Italy – in their worst-ever Six Nations campaign.
Under coach Steve Borthwick, England have shown flashes of variation in their approach this season, but consistency remains elusive.
“England’s identity as a rugby team – I think they’re still struggling to find it,” he said. “I think Steve knows how he wants to play, and he knows the players he wants.”
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Jones’ third observation centred on the direction of the modern game, questioning whether the current trend of high-scoring matches and increased celebration is where rugby is heading.
“Is this the way we’re going to have rugby in the future?” he said. “Is that what we want – tries, a lot of tries, big scores, players celebrating?
“It’s all about social media. And if that’s the case, that’s good. I’m not saying it’s a bad thing at all, but let’s make sure that we adjust the way we interpret the laws.”
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Photo: David Rogers/Getty Images
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