England’s new defence coach, John Mitchell, thinks Eddie Jones’s squad can still win the 2019 Rugby World Cup despite their disappointing results this year. The former All Blacks head coach has been recruited by Jones to add fresh impetus to the team following a run of five defeats in the past six Tests.
“I really believe we can get better and be the best within a year’s time,” said Mitchell, commencing his second spell on England’s coaching staff. “Why? Because of what I’ve seen in the past. We haven’t had the desired outcome in the past year for a number of reasons and now we’re challenging ourselves to get better. I believe I can play a part in that.”
Mitchell, 54, says his priority will be to introduce a “more attacking mindset” to England’s defence having taken over from Paul Gustard, now in charge at Harlequins, but is also a forward expert who believes the best way to rattle the All Blacks is up front.
“The set-piece platform and our ability to create pressure without the ball and feed our attack are pretty much a summary of what will allow us to put pressure on the All Blacks. They’re outstanding but a World Cup does close the gap for some reason.”
Mitchell also insists he is a more mellow figure than he was during his first stint as an assistant coach with England under Clive Woodward 21 years ago. “It’s nice to come back with more maturity and miles on the tyres. I wouldn’t be sitting here now if I hadn’t evolved. A lot of us 50-year-old coaches wouldn’t be around if we didn’t look to evolve and get better. It’s funny the perception you create and I sometimes laugh at it. Some people see that as the reality and it’s not.”
The former Sale and Wasps coach will not be involved in selection – “That’s the boss’s job” – but believes his extensive experience will help England. “If you look at the teams that are successful round the world, they generally have experienced coaches within their group playing roles as assistant coaches. It helps if you have seen the movie a few times.”
Mitchell, who plans to relocate to south-west London full-time in January from his current family base in Durban, insists he has not flown in with any thoughts of succeeding Jones as head coach. “People will speculate but that’s not even in my mind,” he said. “I’ve got an enormous amount of respect for he way Eddie goes about things. Who wouldn’t want to work underneath him?”
Not all England’s squad were fit to train in Bristol with Joe Launchbury (knee), Billy Vunipola (hamstring), Brad Shields (cheekbone) and Chris Ashton (hamstring) all nursing injuries. In addition it has belatedly been confirmed that Manu Tuilagi has a tight hamstring after Leicester’s home defeat to Worcester on Sunday while Ben Youngs strained an ankle and Nick Schonert sustained a dead leg.
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