England captain Jamie George has asserted that a toxic environment is not a prerequisite for success, following his acknowledgment that Eddie Jones's regime could be 'challenging' and his understanding of Danny Care's explosive claims about the Australian's setup.
George, who was appointed England captain at the beginning of the year, was a key figure in Jones's squad and is convinced that the current setup is 'much more inclusive,' though he admitted 'it hasn't always been that way,' referring to Care's description of the previous environment as 'a dictatorship' in his autobiography.
Despite this, George praised Jones's coaching abilities. Under Jones, George won three Six Nations titles, including a grand slam in his first year, and reached the 2019 World Cup final. While he lauded Jones's achievements with England, he firmly believes that success does not necessitate a high cost. Care suggested that England thrived under Jones, especially in the early years of his tenure, due to the tough approach he took with the players.
However, George pointed to the European and Premiership success he has enjoyed with Saracens, stating: 'I don't think there is always a cost to winning. I don't believe that. I have been part of teams that create really positive environments, Saracens being one of them. We have won some pretty big things and were very successful with a different way of viewing things and going about things.'
George also reflected on his experiences with Care, acknowledging that Jones was always striving to improve and pushed people, which was challenging at times. He understood Care's perspective while also noting that Care recognized Jones as one of the best coaches he worked with. George highlighted Jones's contributions to English rugby, including reaching a World Cup final and achieving a grand slam and additional Six Nations titles.
George emphasized that under Jones, England had a dominant record against Australia, winning 10 of the last 11 meetings since the 2015 World Cup. He expects England to return to winning ways against the Wallabies, who have surprised with their team selection, including the debut of 21-year-old Joseph Sua'ali'i.
George vowed that England would warmly welcome Sua'ali'i to the Test arena, stating: 'I know that if he wasn't ready to play, then he wouldn't be playing. So that's something that we've got to be very aware of. There's this element of the unknown. But at the same time, you know, we've got to make sure we're as clued up as we possibly can be. And make sure that he knows what Test match rugby is all about.'
England heads to Twickenham on Saturday aiming to end a streak of four defeats in five Tests, with last week's loss to New Zealand making it three consecutive losses against the All Blacks. Despite criticism for trying to contain New Zealand in the last quarter rather than pressing their advantage, assistant coach Richard Wigglesworth disagreed, stating: 'There are little details that go into making it look like you're not attacking the opposition and containing. Whereas I thought this one was largely discipline-based because any time you had it you're matching another 40-50 metres so I think that's where the game ended up being played in the last 20 minutes.'
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