England head coach Eddie Jones has warned his players they must become 'bullet-proof like James Bond' after being drawn in a tough pool for the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan. England will face France and Argentina in Pool C, with the USA and Samoa likely to complete the group.
Speaking after the draw in Kyoto, Jones joked about visiting a temple to 'pray now and pray hard' for English fortune. 'We want to win the World Cup so we need to be able to beat anyone,' he said. 'I struggle with complacency in English rugby so if there is any complacency now then it will make my selection easy.'
Jones compared his team's required resilience to that of fictional spy James Bond. 'England were bullet-proof when they won in 2003. We're not bullet-proof yet but I don't want to be bullet-proof yet. Even James Bond is not bullet-proof for the whole movie. There are times when he is susceptible. You need to peak at the right time.'
New Zealand head coach Steve Hansen, whose side holds the World Cup, described Pool C as the 'Pool of Death'. 'England are getting better all the time but they're in a really strong pool,' he said. Wales boss Warren Gatland also noted that 'Pool C looks quite tough' while expressing satisfaction with his own side's draw.
