England rugby team try judo: First Tottenham prepare for Man City win by wrestling each other – now Eddie Jones’ Red Rose try martial arts
Mako Vunipola, Jamie George and Maro Itoje show off their skills on the mat as England prepare for autumn internationals
ENGLAND'S rugby stars have been getting to grips with each other by trying their hands at JUDO.
Eddie Jones has been spending the summer researching and spending time with teams from all sorts of sports.
The Aussie was spotted at the Tour de France and at Southampton Football Club's training ground - as he bids to get in as many ideas as possible to keep his Grand Slam-winning stars on their toes.
And this time the Red Rose have been trying their hand at Judo, with former world champ Kate Howey and Jean-Paul Bell showing their skills that helped Sally Conway win Olympic bronze in Rio.
But prop Mako Vunipola admitted he is not cut out for judo - and would rather stick to the scrum.
He said: "Judo's not my game. The first and only time I did it I nearly passed out, so they made me stop."
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While Paul Hill admitted size was an advantage for him the last time he tried the martial art.
He added: "I was only 15 the one time I did it by stull around 20 kilos heavier than the guy I was up against. Yet he turned me into a knot, twisting me inside out. I went 'right, that's it.'"
But boss Jones said the Red Rose stars need to work on their grappling skills.
The 56-year-old said: "One of the things that really came out of the Australia tour is that we need to work on our grappling area at the tackle."
Tottenham Hotspur were spotted doing wrestling in their bid to get their stars fit for the rigours of Premier League football.
Mauricio Pochettino has had last season's runners-up trying their moves on each other - and it seems to have worked - as was showcased in their 2-0 win over table-toppers Manchester City on Sunday.
England's rugby team face South Africa, Fiji, Argentina and Australia in this year's round of autumn internationals starting on November 12.