England v Ireland: Matt Proudfoot says Eddie Jones 'very honest' with dropped players

Matt Proudfoot (left) and Eddie Jones oversaw England's Six Nations triumph earlier this year

Head coach Eddie Jones is "very, very honest" with dropped players, forwards coach Matt Proudfoot has said after England juggled their pack to face Ireland on Saturday.

Flanker Jack Willis and second row Charlie Ewels, who started the 40-0 win over Georgia, have been left out of the 25-man training squad.

"Honesty and clarity," Proudfoot told BBC Sport when asked how Jones dealt with disappointed players.

"His message is straight to the point."

Proudfoot, who joined up with England after helping South Africa to victory at the 2019 Rugby World Cup, added: "There is clarity on where we want you to improve and why you aren't selected.

"Any disappointment fuels a player's growth, as long as he has clarity and knows what he needs to do to improve.

"I am yet to meet a coach as honest as Eddie and as clear in his message as Eddie. There is no double speak."

• Underhill in and Willis out for Ireland game

Proudfoot said he had been happy with both try-scoring debutant Willis and Ewels in the win over Georgia.

"Absolutely pleased," he said when asked about Willis' display.

"He is delivering well, he is pushing hard. He has a good appetite to learn and he has a bright future."

Ireland won their opening Autumn Nations Cup match 32-9 against Wales on Friday and Proudfoot was impressed by how their forwards contributed to victory.

"They have a great scrum, very good maul, quick, intense line-out. It is going to be an a an unbelievable challenge for the England pack," he added.

"This will be our toughest game of the year."

'They have got good players across the field'

George Ford made his debut for England aged 20 and has won 69 caps

Ireland will be steered from fly-half by Ross Byrne after captain Johnny Sexton was injured in the win over Wales.

England fly-half George Ford has missed his team's past two games with an Achilles tendon problem but is in contention to make his comeback on Saturday.

"He has been their talisman for a number of years, is now their captain and a lot of things go through him," Ford said of Sexton.

"But you look at the other 10s who have come in and played and they are very good players themselves.

"Like any team, it is not about one person or one position, they have got good players across the field."

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