World Cup-winning coach Jake White has tipped England, under his one-time Springbok assistant Eddie Jones, to lift the Webb Ellis Cup at France 2023.
In his latest column for Rugby Pass, White argues that a dramatic come-from-behind draw with the All Blacks at Twickenham last week showed why Jones is the man to guide the Roses to a second World Cup title.
White, who roped Jones in as a consultant for the Boks’ 2007-World Cup-winning campaign, also suggests that a favourable draw in France next year will help England to avenge their 2019 final loss to South Africa in Japan.
“When Marcus Smith ran and hoofed the ball into the pulsating Twickenham stands, they had the All Blacks on the ropes. Understandably in the aftermath, there was a lot of talk about what great teams would have done,” White wrote.
ALSO: Monty: It’s always war when Boks play England
“It made me wonder what to read into that decision and the conclusion I’ve come up with is that England are favourites for the World Cup. Now I’ll tell you why.
“When England lost to Argentina, Eddie Jones made a statement in which he said he’d made a mistake because he’d been focusing too much on the World Cup, but I wouldn’t read too much into that.
“I think Eddie is quietly confident because he’ll be the most experienced Test coach in France. This will be his fifth World Cup and he’s appeared in two Finals. Look at the stats. He’s had more Test matches than any other coach of a leading nation.
“Don’t forget the other advantages he has. He’s also worked with the same group for eight years so he should know by now every single player and what their relative strengths and weaknesses are.
MORE: Boks to shock ‘dominant’ England pack
“They have the biggest player base, all of them earn their crust in the same time zone and are a few hours away if he needs to send for help. Eddie has seen about 180 players in camp. There will be no surprise picks.”
White added: “There’s no doubt they have the easiest draw, too, with only Argentina in with a shout of beating them. They have a relatively easy pathway to the semi-finals.
“So the reality is he’ll have two tough games to lift the World Cup. The stars have aligned for him, and you could say coming back from 25-6 down pointed to Eddie wearing his lucky pants for the evening.”
Picks – @mark_keohane and Zels offer their picks as the Boks look to close their year off with a victory against England on Saturday. pic.twitter.com/baJHYgf2AR
— SA Rugby magazine (@SARugbymag) November 24, 2022
Photo: Richard Heathcote/Getty Images
