Eddie Jones: RFU chief Bill Sweeney feels England can win World Cup under head coach

Rugby Football Union chief executive Bill Sweeney says he was "really disappointed" by England's Six Nations but believes they can win the 2023 World Cup under head coach Eddie Jones.

The RFU was criticised as being "dishonest" by former player Ugo Monye after it claimed England made "solid progress" during the tournament.

There were calls for Jones to resign but Sweeney has backed the coach.

Asked if he thought England could win the World Cup, he said: "Yeah, I do."

Sweeney added: "People will always go back to that semi-final [against New Zealand in 2019], a magical match and some people say the best game England has ever played.

"We had a clean sweep of the autumn internationals last year, we beat the defending world champions at Twickenham, we have had a disappointing Six Nations in 2022, things change very quickly, very rapidly.

"The question then becomes, do we believe we are in a position to make that happen? Where we sit now, we do believe we are."

Jones has been England coach since 2016, winning the Grand Slam in his first season in charge and then two more Six Nations championships in 2017 and 2020. He also led them to the World Cup final in 2019.

This year, England won just two games for the second Six Nations in a row and finished third thanks to favourable results elsewhere.

Eddie Jones' (left) contract as England head coach runs until the end of the 2023 World Cup

Sweeney added the RFU should have been more "up front" after Saturday's 25-13 defeat by Grand Slam winners France.

In a wide-ranging interview with BBC Sport Editor Dan Roan, Sweeney admitted the RFU's initial response to England's Six Nations could have been improved by recognising "the frustration of the fans".

He added: "[We could] have said we are deeply disappointed and know you are as well."

Asked if it was time for Jones to go, Sweeney said: "You always have concerns, you always want to make sure you have the right balance, resources and personnel to do the job.

"When you are not performing well, of course you think 'do we have it right?' You have to take the emotion out, stay rational and think about the things you are doing... and look at what you are aiming to achieve, if you feel on track and stay the course. If not, make a decision."

Jones has 'absolute belief of players'

England scored only eight tries across their five games in the tournament - fewer than the 12 they scored in 2021.

The RFU backed Jones following the loss to France, saying he is building "a new England team", with young stars like Marcus Smith, Freddie Steward and Harry Randall coming through.

Monye criticised the governing body's statement on BBC Radio 5 Live's Rugby Union Weekly podcast and Sweeney said: "Winning two this year compared to winning two last year is not progress, and that's a fair criticism.

"But in terms of how we feel the team is progressing and how it's developing, in the context of where we want to get to, we feel we're heading in the right direction, hence we were OK with that statement."

Sweeney added that Jones has "the absolute belief and commitment of the players and we believe he's the right guy to take us through".

"We'll continue to review as we go through," Sweeney continued.

"Do we have the right set-up? Do we have the right organisation? Are we going to progress or are we deluding ourselves?

"Whenever we've had that conversation, we've come out on the side of 'no, we think we're going in the right direction as we're transitioning and rebuilding this team'."

He added: "Nobody's bulletproof on this and opinions can change. Nobody is indispensable, myself included. The time you make a difficult decision or hard decisions is when you have have lost confidence in the direction you are going. We have not lost confidence.

"If the moment came where we thought 'no, this is not working, we have lost confidence and it is not heading in the right direction' then you have to make the right decision. It is not all down to me, Eddie presents to the RFU board, who hold me accountable for what is happening at the RFU."

'We are not looking at World Cup to detriment of Six Nations'

Jones was the subject of further criticism for repeatedly saying England's Six Nations losses were a good learning experience for younger players as they build towards the World Cup.

Former British and Irish Lions captain Sam Warburton believed this approach was "disrespectful" to the Six Nations.

Asked if England were focusing too much on the future, Sweeney told BBC Sport: "I would refute that 100%.

"The Six Nations is the best tournament in the world. We desperately wanted to win, the players wanted to win it.

"It just so happens they are en route to the World Cup, but we are not looking at the World Cup to the detriment of the Six Nations tournament."

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