It is not just England who are seeking to put the past behind them. In Australia they have conducted a lengthy review into the Wallabies’ failed World Cup campaign and come up with a list of recommendations almost as long as the Great Barrier Reef. Along with a massive “unapproved” overspend of A$2.6m [£1.34m], it emerged the players felt there was a lack of transparency about team selection and insufficient clarity around training.
Ring any bells? Back in 2017-18 when Eddie Jones was in charge of England, the Rugby Football Union ended up making more than 60 redundancies after a budget blowout of around £900,000. And in that 2018 Six Nations, England trailed in fifth, their worst finish in 31 years. Those who pay little heed to history’s lessons are, as they say, doomed to repeat them.
