Eddie Jones – England head coach talks Cokanasiga, Tuilagi and the pride of Argentina

Ahead of England’s game with Argentina early on Sunday afternoon, Eddie Jones is certainly a relaxed figure.

In the summer, England went to his home country and picked up a series win across three Tests and this Autumn will be looking to grow even more as the countdown to the Rugby World Cup continues.

His headline changes come as a result of necessity for the most part, Owen Farrell retaking the captaincy as a result of Courtney Lawes’ concussion, the Northampton Saints’ return to play also meaning that his clubmates, Alex Coles and David Ribbans, will make their England debuts at the weekend.

Manu Tuilagi’s return to fitness means that the Sale Sharks back will slot in the midfield with Owen Farrell, the duo forming a somewhat exciting axis along with Marcus Smith at fly-half. 

Even Joe Cokanasiga’s inclusion on the wing has come out of some happenstance, with Jonny May nearing a return to full fitness after an elbow injury and Henry Arundell’s foot injury.

Bath’s Cokanasiga certainly hasn’t had the best of luck in recent times. Injury has simply ravaged the 24-year-old, who played one Test in Australia earlier this year but was dropped following his performance in Perth.

“He wasn’t good in the game,” Jones said. “He didn’t have enough runs with the ball and didn’t make enough tackles and didn’t impact on the game. He is a young guy that has had a difficult time. He has a difficult injury history, hasn’t played a lot of rugby and hasn’t had consistent training time.

“If you look since the 2019 World Cup, I would say he has played less than 30 games for Bath and he has probably had more than 30 weeks of not training. So, he has had a pretty dysfunctional time in rugby.

“He came back on the Australian tour, we just got him back in time, but for this preparation I have seen him train every day. He has got his body in great condition, he is highly motivated – not that he has never not been highly motivated, but because of the breaks it is harder for a player to get consistency.

“He gives us a potential point of difference. He is a 115kg winger that runs like the wind. They are pretty useful.”

As always, Manu Tuilagi is a firm point of interest. Now 31, Tuilagi will be winning his 47^th cap against Argentina this weekend in West London. Having had his injury issues, the centre will always have the question of ‘what if? Following him thanks to his devastating performances when fit.

Part of what is now allowing Tuilagi to play more regularly is how he is being managed by both club and country. Both the medical staff of Sale Sharks and England are in conversation with one another on how he is faring.

Having last played for Sharks two weekends ago in his team’s loss to Harlequins, Jones says that one of his most important players is trending towards a positive performance at the weekend against Los Pumas.

“He is in really good shape, and he did 80 per cent plus of the main training session yesterday so he is in great nick,” Jones said. “Psychologically he is really focussed, the medical staff in conjunction with Sale have done a great job in getting him back. The game is a big test.”

When England last played Argentina, it was at the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan and the two will meet one another in France too. Each will open up their campaigns against one another at the Stade Velodrome in Marseille, this matchup in the Autumn Nations Series more than just a coincidence.

“We’ll play them first up after both teams have training breaks,” Jones said. “They’ve been in training since the Rugby Championship, and it’ll be a similar situation. It won’t dictate the result at the World Cup, but one team will learn a bit more about the other.”

Their opposition certainly pose a threat. In the recently concluded Rugby Championship, Michael Cheika’s side beat the All Blacks in New Zealand and have been able to name a strong side for this weekend’s fixture.

More than capable of turning over whichever opposition is presented to them, Jones believes that it is important for the international game that there is a strong Argentina, the side being such a positive advert for the development of the sport in what was once considered a Tier 2 nation.

“It is very important,” he said. “They have always played a distinctive way. They have been a great World Cup team. They come together at World Cups, and it has probably helped them not having Super Rugby.

“That maybe took a little bit of the national emphasis away [when players had to play for the now defunct Jaguares in Super Rugby]. The players come together now from all parts of the world, and they are so proud to play for Argentina.”

England starting XV: Freddie Steward; Jack Nowell (VC), Manu Tuilagi, Owen Farrell (C), Joe Cokanasiga; Marcus Smith, Ben Youngs; Ellis Genge (VC), Luke Cowan-Dickie, Kyle Sinckler, Alex Coles, Jonny Hill, Maro Itoje, Tom Curry, Billy Vunipola

Replacements: Jack Singleton, Mako Vunipola, Joe Heyes, David Ribbans, Sam Simmonds, Jack Willis, Jack van Poortvliet, Henry Slade