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England caught up in an identity crisis and sliding backwards under Eddie Jones

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England must recover from a disappointing first-Test defeat in Australia.

They last did it in 2010, when they lost in Perth. They were defeated by Scotland at Murrayfield in February.

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And now they’ve done the same thing against two teams that played more than half the game with 14 men.

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The marriage of Marcus Smith and Owen Farrell cannot conceal fundamental differences in their approaches to the game.
One look across at Samu Kerevi, the clear man of the match, highlighted how deep England’s attackers were and how little turbo-thrust they produced.

It’s starting to feel a lot like 2015, when England’s management, desperate for a new dimension, threw Sam Burgess into the mix.

England coach Eddie Jones will feel even more isolated if his team loses the second Test against Australia in Perth on Saturday.

It is difficult to conclude that England’s main concern is personnel; rather, it is a case of past omissions catching up with them. Even if they win in Brisbane, it will not cover up deeper issues.

 

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