Six Nations 2020: England could've declared at half-time, says Eddie Jones
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Head coach Eddie Jones says England could have "declared at half-time" as they had wrapped up victory in the Six Nations game with Ireland by the break.
England led 17-0 after two early tries at Twickenham and went on to win 24-12.
Jones also said England, who lost to France in their opening game, "get a lot of criticism" when they stumble.
"They're a good team, this England team. Any time we have a small mishap it's the end of the world, the whole world's falling in," said Jones.
The Australian added: "I thought the first half was outstanding. We played with intensity, we executed well, and we had the game won at half-time.
"If it was a cricket match we could have declared. Second half they got some possession, got a few calls from the referee, and we had to defend well and we did."
The England coach was criticised after a 24-17 defeat by France, who have won all three of their matches in this Six Nations, before his side beat Scotland in awful conditions at Murrayfield.
Jones says England prepared well for the win over Ireland but "can get better than this".
He also believes winter conditions in the northern hemisphere combined with the enmity between the countries mean expansive rugby is not possible in the Six Nations.
"The Six Nations is a different sort of rugby," said Jones.
"People want to see this floaty, long-passing game but it's just not like that, the conditions don't make it like that and the intensity of the rivalries, it's a different type of game.
"I thought we played well in Scotland - any time you beat Scotland at Murrayfield you've got to play well because they're a tough team. The wind was strong and the rain was strong and we dominated that game as we dominated today."
Still to come in the Six Nations... |
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Saturday, 7 March: Ireland v Italy, England v Wales. |
Sunday, 8 March: Scotland v France. |
Saturday, 14 March: Wales v Scotland, Italy v England, France v Ireland. |
England, who reached the World Cup final in November, host Wales next looking to take their challenge for the Six Nations title into the final weekend.
"It is going to be fantastic," added Jones. "Wales have got a new coach, they're playing a little different as we've seen and we're looking forward to hosting them here.
"There will be 81,000 waiting for them. We'll welcome them coming down the... M40 is it? M4!"
