State of the Nation: England anything but on track for Rugby World Cup

England's Autumn Internationals campaign has been disappointing. England are not on track for the 2023 Rugby World Cup.  

England have a record of 5 wins, 1 draw and 6 losses this year. They have nine matches left before the Rugby World Cup in France. Eddie Jones has no idea of his best 15, 23 or 33 players. He has lost the traditional strengths of set-piece and gainline dominance. He also has problems with the execution of defensive schemes. England lost to Argentina and drew with New Zealand. The team's performance against Japan was better than against the All Blacks. It was the only positive for England this season. There is a lot of work to be done before World cup. For example, the team needs to improve their defensive performance.

England's selection of players was inconsistent. The players who play in the Premiership were overlooked for the international squad. Owen Farrell and Marcus Smith were not given the correct support players. They are not the best fast bowlers in England. Mako Vunipola was picked against Frans Malherbe. Alex Coles and Maro Itoje were picked at flanker and lock. Jack Willis was left out of the squad for four matches. He needs to get some international rugby under his belt. Tom Pearson, Henry Slade, Alex Mitchell, Adam Radwan and Val Rapava-Ruskin were also left on the bench.