Six Nations: England coach Eddie Jones sets his sights on the greatest prize of all

Jones may have presided over a first Grand Slam since 2003 in his debut campaign as head coach after Saturday night’s 31-21 victory over France, but he has already set his sights set on greater prizes.

The first objective is to topple World Cup runners-up Australia over three Tests in June en route to his ultimate goal of dethroning New Zealand at the summit of the game when the next global showpiece is staged in 2019.

Hartley is set to be at the helm against the Wallabies after proving to be an inspired choice as captain, in the process diffusing the controversy generated by his dire disciplinary record.

The hooker’s immediate future is shrouded in uncertainty after he was knocked out at the Stade de France, but Jones’s endorsement of his leadership credentials is sure to comfort him as he follows the return to play protocols for concussion.

“I’ll sit down with Dylan over the next two to three weeks and plan out the Australian tour,” said Jones, who hopes to appoint a full-time scrum coach and assistant attack coach before they head Down Under.

“The great thing about Dylan is that he’s a bit of a rogue, a likeable rogue.

“He’s got good people skills, he’s not afraid to tell people what they should be doing when they are not doing it and he’s not afraid to give someone a pat on the pack.

“He’s done an outstanding job as captain. He can still get better as captain – and he will – but he has done a really good job.

“At this stage there’s no reason why Dylan won’t be captain as long as he keeps improving as a player.

“If he keeps improving as a player, he’ll remain as captain for the tour.”

Hartley’s night in Paris was cut short with 12 minutes remaining after taking an accidental knee to the head and he received lengthy medical attention before being carried off on a stretcher.

The 29-year-old, who lost two months to concussion earlier in the season, was able to return to the pitch for the trophy presentation, but Jones revealed yesterday that he remains groggy.

It has taken Jones 120 days to transform virtually the same squad that finished Six Nations runners-up four years in a row and that slumped to a group exit at the World Cup into Grand Slam winners.

But the Australian is not satisfied with success in Europe and is ready to guard against complacency by demonstrating his ruthless streak in selection if needed.

When asked where the Championship clean sweep ranked as an achievement in his career, Jones replied: “Nowhere because it’s going to get better with England.

“It’s fantastic to get a Grand Slam and fantastic to win the Six Nations, but we want to be the 
No 1 team in the world. To do that we have to go down to Australia and beat them.

“I’ll make sure the players don’t get ahead of themselves. It’s easy to do that. I’ve got the greatest cane in the world because I pick the side.

“If anyone gets too far ahead of themselves, they won’t be in the team. That’s how you keep growing.”

Jones insists the true catalyst for success will be the emergence of a hungry aspiring England star who wants to make his mark.

“We need a few young guys to come through to really push the envelope,” said Jones. “We need some guys to come in and say that this isn’t good enough and lift the level again so I’m looking for those guys, like a young Jonny Wilkinson.

“The 2003 lot talk about when Jonny came into training as a young kid and turned the Bunsen burner up.

“The whole level of training increased because he had no fear and he wanted to be No 1 in the world. I need to find a couple of those kids.

“We’ll find them.”

James Haskell, meanwhile, revealed that he refused to contemplate withdrawing from England line-up even when a debilitating back spasm left him in “hell”.

Haskell was among the standout performers in the Paris triumph and a night’s work notable for the veteran Wasps flanker’s relentless carrying and bruising tackle count was produced despite incurring a back problem during an innocuous moment in training on Thursday.

“I was in hell,” said Haskell.

“My back spasmed after one play. There was no rhyme or reason why it happened – I probably just tried to accelerate out of second gear when I should have known better.

“I thought I was done, but the medical team were amazing and got me through it. I must have seen them about 20 times between when it happened and the game

“I was suffering from a bit of a cold as well, but no one was going to keep me off that field. After two minutes, my face almost fell apart. I was always going to turn out.”

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