Five things Eddie Jones has learned from Italy victory

Five things Eddie Jones has learned from Italy victory

Often when a side scores 50 points at test level there are a number of positives that can be taken from the results with little negatives. 

However, England's 57-14 win over Italy at Twickenham will have provided Eddie Jones with a number of answers as he prepares for the World Cup.

1. Tuilagi is an option at 12 & 13

Manu Tuilagi regularly plays outside centre for his club side Leicester Tigers but has been used more as an inside centre under Eddie Jones. 

The powerful and hard-hitting centre's performance against Italy will give Eddie Jones the confidence to throw him into the position when need be. Tuilagi and Te'o worked well together with the former relishing in the space that comes with the wider position. 


There aren't many test midfielders that can do the job in both positions but in Tuilagi, Jones certainly has a man that can. Another plus from Jones testing the Te'o- Tuilagi combination was Henry Slade's impact off the bench.

Slade has become a regular in the #13 jersey for Jones but showed that he can provide something off the bench when required to do so.


2. Dan Robson can make the step up

Robson came on against a tired Italian side but his service in the 20 minutes he was out on the pitch suggests that he does deserve more time out in the middle.

His support lines were superb and actually resulted in a try while he also lifted the tempo for his side who were starting to take the foot off the gas.

3. Joe Cokanasiga must go to the World Cup

To be fair, Jones probably knows this already but the young winger needs to go the World Cup and bring something different to the England back three.

Jack Nowell is industrious in the way he plays while May and Ashton bring the finishing edge to his side. However, there are few big ball carriers out wide for England and Cokansiga certainly brings that to the table for England.

He also has a superb offloading game and is solid defensively. Cokanasiga could be England's answer to the likes of Waisake Naholo, Sbu Nkosi, Josua Tuisova and some of the other big wingers his side could face in Japan.

4. Brad Shields deserves another shot in the starting line up

Billy Vunipola's injury opened the door for Mark Wilson in November last year with the flanker taking his opportunity with two hands, however, Wilson's form has come at the expense of Brad Shields who has struggled with injuries.

Jones now has a selection headache on his hands with Shields impressing against Italy. Shields was destructive in the rucks and a great option at the lineout. He also bagged two tries and racked up over 50 running metres, adding 14 tackles to his tally.

Although Shields has struggled with injuries, it certainly wouldn't hurt England too much to hand Shields another start against Scotland next week.

5. Ellis Genge can fill the third loosehead role

With Mako Vunipola sidelined Jones has had the opportunity to test his depth in the front row with Ben Moon impressing in the starting line up both in November and again so far this Six Nations.

Against Italy, Jones handed Genge a start to test the loosehead. The Leicester Tiger did not disappoint as he slotted in perfectly alongside George and Sinckler. He was strong at the set piece and showed some good hands.

If Jones has to dip into his front row depth in Japan he will be confident Genge can get the job done.

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