Eddie Jones hopes England will emerge from one of the most demanding seasons in the game’s history by supplying a record number of players to next year’s Lions tour. But Jones confronts the workload by outlining his determination to supply the bulk of Warren Gatland’s squad knowing it means England will have excelled. Sir Clive Woodward’s bloated Lions touring party of 2005 saw 20 Red Rose stars embark for New Zealand – a record number supplied by one country in the professional era. England players selected for the Lions tour face an arduous year (David Davies/PA)“The circumstances dictate that it’s a difficult season, we all acknowledge that,” said Jones, speaking on behalf of Umbro, the new Official Technical Kit Partner to England Rugby. For the first time, Jones’ approach to selection could be significantly shaped by a statistical approach that he believes could be illuminating.

Source: Express September 01, 2020 21:00 UTC