LONDON (Reuters) - England have "no excuse" not to be the most powerful rugby nation in the world, the new Rugby Football Union (RFU) chief executive Steve Brown said. Since losing to Australia in the World Cup in 2015, England have won 20 of their last 21 matches and under Eddie Jones have climbed to second in the world rankings -- behind only world champions New Zealand. "We potentially have the best rugby opportunity in the world and we need to make the most of that. Brown also echoed Jones's stance that "everything is geared up around winning" the next World Cup in Japan in 2019. "The player welfare piece that is in the public domain at the moment is important, and it's important we listen to the players," Brown added.

Source: The Star September 26, 2017 19:18 UTC