RBS 6 Nations news: England's Fairy-tale season

England win Grand Slam and 2016 Rugby Six Nations Championship!

England is enjoying a “fairy-tale rugby season” in 2016 under the leadership of new manager Eddie Jones after his perfect Six Nations debut campaign as head coach. Jones began his reign as new boss of the England National Team by sealing the Six Nations Grand Slam for the first time in 13 years with a win against France in Paris after already cinching the 2016 Rugby Six Nations crown with a win against Wales. Jones’ first five games resulted in five victories for the Red Rose.

Along with the first England Grand Slam since 2003, Jones took his side to their first RBS 6 Nations Championship title since 2011. Next England looks forward to a summer tour to Australia before the start of the Autumn Internationals at Twickenham Stadium in the fall of 2016. England’s challenge “Down Under” is a three-match series against Jones' nation of birth Australia’s National Team.

England fly-half George Ford commented that he believes the sky is the limit for Eddie Jones and his Grand-Slam-Winning England side. "This is only the start for us and while we're glad to have done this, we understand we need to get better as well," said Ford. "There's so much more time to come. The potential is endless. This is a small start to becoming a better team.”

"We understand there are tougher things to come, but if we stay humble and grounded and keep working hard and enjoying each other's company, then this team can go places," continued Ford. Ford talked about how Jones has been key to England’s turnaround in fortunes after their poor performance at the recent Rugby World Cup 2015. Eddie is a really honest guy and he'll tell you straight what it is you need to do to take your game to the next level," said Ford. "The biggest thing for me is that he's created an enjoyable environment and the lads have responded brilliantly to that. Training has been taken to the next level.”

"He's installed a way of playing into us and wants us to attack teams and that's the way the lads like playing. We've worked hard and it's been a tough eight weeks, but it's been an enjoyable one at the same time. The boys are over the moon. We've been second for the last four years so to win it and get the Grand Slam has left us chuffed to bits. After the World Cup we went away, stuck together and the majority of that squad was involved in this. Sometimes you have to take things like what happened then on the chin and stay grounded."

Looking ahead, England boss Eddie Jones says his side is 'three to four' years from peaking. England may already be a match for rugby union New Zealand superclub All Blacks; however they haven’t defeated the All Blacks since November 2012 when the Red Rose enjoyed a 38-21 victory. Jones was asked if England could defeat the All Blacks in competition at this point. Former Leicester Tiger rugby player, Jones believes his youthful side needs more time to develop after their 31-21 triumph against France that earned them the RBS 6 Nations silverware and a Grand Slam.

"The average age of our side is 24. We're three or four years away from peaking," said Jones. "There's going to be a lot more young players coming into the side to put the players here under a lot of pressure. "The question about whether we can beat the All Blacks or not - maybe not now but in the next two or three years we'll have a side to beat the All Blacks," declared Jones. Jones has used a measured approach to integrate the young players in with the seasoned squad he inherited. In the future he plans to alter the Red Rose's approach to the game.

"The hardest thing always to change is mindset. Changing that to a growth mindset where players are happy to be challenged and try new things," said Jones. "You are always hoping it's going to happen next week. Sometimes it happens in three weeks, sometimes it takes three years, you don't know.

"Generally speaking, you look at most teams around the world when a coach takes over, the first year you are coaching the previous coach's team - that's the reality,” added Jones. "The second year, you can change it by 50 per-cent, the third year you can change it by 80 per-cent. And this means, by the third year, it's your team. "Now that's where you should be at your best. The third and fourth years are the years you get your maximum."

France 21-31 England

In their last 2016 Six Nations clash, England were put through their paces by a France side who battled through to the end in easily their best performance of the 2016 RBS 6 Nations tournament. But 2016 RBS 6 Nations champions England also battled to the end, and ended a run of four runners-up finishes in a row under Stewart Lancaster in previous Six Nations Championships with a 21-31 victory in Paris. England’s 25-21 win against Wales at Twickenham Stadium coupled with France’s 29-18 loss to Scotland at Murrayfield had already determined that the Red Rose clinched the 2016 Six Nations title with a round of matches to spare.

"I am very proud of the boys. We weren't at our best today, but we battled through and really deserved the victory. It is a great achievement by the team. I always had confidence in the team. I thought in the first half we sat back a little bit, and were probably more worried about the result than playing, and the second half we were much more positive in the way we played," said England head coach Eddie Jones to reporters after the Paris win and Grand Slam.

Jones said England captain Dylan Hartley was fantastic! "He has been fantastic, he has done a really good job. The nucleus of the team has been very strong. The two assistant coaches have done a fantastic job, Paul Gustard with his defense and Steve Borthwick with his set-piece work. The great thing is that the best is still ahead of us. We are only going to get better."

Owen Farrell, England center was chuffed as he talked about England’s pre-match goal to become the most dominant rugby club in Europe. "It is brilliant. We set ourselves a goal at the start of the Six Nations to be the most dominant team in Europe, and we have achieved that goal,” said Farrell. “It wasn't the best of starts for us in the first half, even though we scored a couple of tries, but we showed some character in that second half.

“I thought the boys were brilliant,” continued Farrell. “We were focused on our job. France are a good side, especially over here. This squad has been brilliant since we met up for this Six Nations. We have got better week on week, and built on performances. We got what we deserved after it. I am just chuffed for the boys. I am chuffed for everyone."

Billy Vunipola was grateful as he talked about coming out on top by winning every game. "This means a great deal. We have had a great eight weeks, and to come out on top and win every game after what happened at the World Cup, which no-one can forget about, it's a great achievement for us,” said Vunipola. “I just thank God for giving me the opportunity, and I am just so happy right now. You could hear how loud the crowd was. I am sure they didn't want us to come here and win a Grand Slam on their home soil, and that is a credit to them. But more credit goes to my team and the way we stood up to them in a tough first half, and we eventually came out on top."

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Six Nations 2017 kicks off in 320 days.