England rugby tour of South Africa: It’s time to Follow the Rose
Can the chariot get back on track in time for the 2019 World Cup? In association with Sky Sports.
EDDIE Jones has already masterminded one England revival and aims to get the English Rose blooming again in a three-Test summer tour of South Africa, which you can follow exclusively, live on Sky Sports Action.
The Aussie maestro can become the first coach to lead England to a Test series win on Springboks soil, as he takes the opportunity to run his eye over candidates fighting for a place at the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan.
Seven new players have been given the nod for South Africa and Jones has also given the nod to the mercurial outside half, Danny Cipriani.
The creative playmaker, 30, has been outstanding for Wasps and was named on the shortlist for Premiership Rugby's player-of-the-season. Because of this scintillating form, he has forced his way back into the England fold, his last appearance being for England in a 2015 defeat to France in the Six Nations.
A resurgent Cipriani could be an exciting option at No 10 for England or even at full-back. He has signed his intention to fight for a permanent place in Jones’s squad by turning down lucrative offers from abroad. By playing for Gloucester next season, he will remain eligible for international selection.
During Jones’s first two years in charge, England powered through a world-record equalling 18-match winning run. But the wheels came off the chariot during a disappointing Six Nations championship in March, which ended with three straight defeats.
Blooding some fresh talent on tour could provide the lift England need, especially with a tough round of autumn internationals on the horizon as preparations for the 2019 World Cup intensify. November’s exciting schedule, all of which you can follow live, exclusively on Sky Sports Action, sees the visit of South Africa, the All Blacks, Japan and Australia.
Chief among the newcomers in the England touring squad is New Zealand-born flanker Brad Shields, who qualifies through having English parents. It could prove to be a coup for Jones to have nabbed Shields from under the noses of the All Blacks if the back-rower can transfer his club form to the international arena. The Hurricanes captain was an integral part of the 2016 Super Rugby title-winning team and led his side to a draw against the British & Irish Lions in June last year.
Owen Farrell has been named captain for the tour because of Dylan Hartley’s enforced summer lay-off, after the Northampton hooker suffered the third head injury of his career on Six Nations duty against France.
Farrell has excelled at club level this season, collecting the Gilbert Golden Boot award for kicking 171 points for Saracens in the Aviva Premiership. At just 26, he’s already a veteran of two British & Irish Lions tours and while his ability to perform at fly-half or inside centre is a given, the three Tests in South Africa will allow him to demonstrate his qualities as a leader.
The series begins on June 9 at Emirates Airline Park in Johannesburg with the Second Test at Bloemfontain’s Toyota Stadium on June 16 before the final showdown on June 23 at the DHL Newlands, Cape Town.
On the last tour, in 2012, England lost the first two Tests before holding the hosts to a 14-14 draw in Port Elizabeth. Those matches were part of a 12-game unbeaten run that the Springboks enjoyed against England from 2006, until a 37-21 defeat at Twickenham in the 2016 Autumn Internationals.
England’s experimental squad not only have the chance to make history with a first series-win in South Africa, the star performers can also show Jones who will be up for the fight when it’s time to board the plane for Japan 2019.
Watch it all on Sky Sports. Experience all the drama and emotion with Sky Sports’ exclusive coverage of England’s tour of South Africa and follow the Rose as they tackle November’s autumn internationals on the road to the 2019 World Cup in Japan.