Rugby: England coach Eddie Jones' Rugby World Cup final selection regret

Jones.
Jones. Photo credit: Getty

England coach Eddie Jones believes he got his team selection wrong for the Rugby World Cup final and should have brought in fresh legs to face South Africa.

Jones fielded the same starting XV against the Springboks that had stunned two-time defending champions New Zealand in the semi-final.

But England were unable to cope with South Africa's physicality and lost 32-12 in Yokohama.

"If there's one thing I could have done differently, it was probably to have changed the selection a little bit," Jones told Sky Sports.

"I continued to change selection from game to game [during the tournament] and probably, in hindsight, I should have refreshed the squad a little bit.

"I'm not going to talk about individuals, but maybe I should have changed the order of 23 - but it works when you win.

"That's the great thing and when you win, you have all the answers, but when you lose you don't."

Jones has a contract with England until 2021, but Rugby Football Union chief executive Bill Sweeney said the Australian would be offered the chance to continue for the full four-year cycle into the 2023 World Cup.

Jones, who will be in charge of the Barbarians for the invitational side's match against Fiji at Twickenham on Saturday, was reluctant to discuss where his future might lie.

"There's all sorts of stories at the moment, about going to France or Fiji, but it's not really my decision," Jones said. "Coaches have to perform and that's the only thing I am worried about." 

Reuters