Jones: Risks needed for WC preparation

Eddie Jones guided England to a 33-19 victory over Wales in their opening World Cup warm-up game

Eddie Jones accepts the hazards involved in playing four warm-up Tests as the necessary cost of properly preparing England for the World Cup.

The danger of playing full-blooded internationals was underlined at Twickenham last Sunday when Wales fly-half Gareth Anscombe suffered a serious knee injury that has ruled him out of Japan 2019.

In the same match, England lost their outstanding openside Tom Curry to a shoulder injury that has made him unavailable for the return fixture against the Grand Slam champions in Cardiff on Saturday – live on Sky Sports.

0:46

Eddie Jones has urged his young England players to step up again and be brutal when they take on Wales.

The prospect of losing the likes of captain Owen Farrell or second row Maro Itoje – both of whom return on Saturday – so close to the tournament may be problematic but Jones insists that protecting his stars would be counter-productive.

“I don’t worry about injuries. You can put them in cotton wool but then they’d not be ready for the World Cup,” Jones said.

0:55

Wales head coach Warren Gatland has confirmed Gareth Anscombe will miss the World Cup after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus injury against England.

“You’ve just got to get on with it and that’s the way it always has been. It’s the risk you take.

“It would be easy to have nice camps in Treviso and not play games. You get them all fit but not ready to play rugby.

“It’s like a boxer – a boxer’s got to box. A rugby player’s got to play rugby. There’s a risk involved.

“If they get injured you feel for the player but then look to see who the next best is.

“People get excited about these warm-up games – ‘you’ve got to win, you’ve got to win’. And if you don’t, it’s the end of the world.

5:02

England kick off their World Cup warm-ups with a convincing win over Wales at Twickenham. The two sides will do battle again next weekend in Cardiff.

“For me it’s about getting players fit and hard and experimenting with a few areas to see if they come off and then hopefully have the 31 you’ve selected on the plane.”

Warren Gatland has accepted criticism from former players of Wales’ decision to play four warm-up matches but for Jones they are essential.

“Because we have a squad of 31 we need four games to get the necessary game time for everyone,” added Jones.

“We’ve got two games in four days at the World Cup and the reality is that most of the squad will probably play in those first two games so we need the four games for them to be ready.”