With the Six Nations done and dusted for another year, we look at the state of affairs in each of the competing nations. Next up, England.

With Ireland dominating the 2018 Six Nations and England fading badly, it has been absolutely crystal clear that unless England quickly absorb the lessons of the last 18 months, their chances of winning the World Cup in 2019 are as about as good as Vladimir Putin being invited to spend a weekend break in Salisbury.

Whilst one can rightly argue that Ireland are one of the best two teams in the world, judgements can be made both subjectively and objectively, and it is more so the way England are playing than their ranking that gives rise to the greatest concerns.  

Those that scratched beneath the glossy surface in 2017 saw the cracks emerging; against France, England were beaten up and held on, Wales in Cardiff was a smash and grab robbery and in Dublin, England’s very being was rocked to the core.

With only one meaningful Test in 2017 thereafter, the manner England fell from hero to zero had a frightening yet predictable velocity to it.

Looking at the issues, one could claim the injury profiles didn’t assist, but when the back row and midfield imbalance was so palpable going back some 18 months, it seems astonishing that after another 960 minutes of Test rugby, Eddie Jones is still scratching his head in search of the answers.

Looking at the game against Ireland at Twickenham and Scotland in Edinburgh, the difference in the application of tactics, the contrast of the razor-sharp reactions of both Scotland and Ireland to game situations and the sheer pace put on the ball were marked. 

England looked laborious, stodgy and almost exhausted from their desperation to retain that run of form.

And thereby lies the issue; the unbeaten run became a millstone for Jones. A run he wanted to maintain come-what-may and he was prepared to resort to short-term reactions instead of a well-considered sustainable plan in order to save it. What is inexcusable is everyone knows what the questions are as they emerged with clarity during that period yet Eddie has failed to deliver the answers and in some instances, actively avoided those answers through sheer cussedness.

Looking forward, England have to consider some structural issues in their game. Central contracts would assist with player development and there needs to be a discussion at the highest level on improving commitment to fast rucking rugby from every club in the Premiership – they all know the national side is the shop window and pressure must be placed to create the talent and style needed by the RFU to succeed at Test level.

Jones needs to take a step back to move forward. Jettison players that are merely 'very good' Test players. Like the All Blacks, they need exceptional players, as opposed to good players, in every position and in order to find that X-Factor, some doughty performers may need to be excluded, certainly in the short term. Pick the form players like Don Armand, Alex Lowzowski and Harry Williams and use the next seven Tests before the Six Nations 2019 to develop understandings, strategy, units and roles.

England have lost as many Six Nations games under Jones as they did under Lancaster. However, Lancaster was a holding job at best, whereas with Eddie, the cheque book is open, his Key Performance Indicators are crystal clear and he can be judged on nothing other than a World Cup win.

Jones is a stubborn man and whether or not he has the appetite to rip up the mixed bag of work delivered thus far is a moot point. However, any man of rugby will tell you there’s a lot more respect in fighting to the death than walking away from that fight, and that’s precisely what Eddie and England must do now; scrap for their very lives and their credible existence.